Love as Black as Sin
by SilverRain4
Summary: Sequel to Lost In the Grey. The transgenics fight the system for their freedom, the relationship between Max and Alec slowly evolves, and the dark woman takes her revenge.
1. Default Chapter

_You asked for it, so here it is.  I'd like to thank everyone for their support for my last story.  Also, bravo to MM for guessing how Alec would come back, and also the premise of this little sequel.  I changed the rating of Lost in the Grey, and also made this one "R" to cover my rear end in case bits of it were too violent.  I also plan on adding a little macking to this story, yay for smoochies.  So without further ado, here it is._

_Disclaimer: Don't own them, excepting of course the few characters of my own invention.  I'm a college student, so I have nothing worth suing for._

_Recap:  During the last story, Lost in the Grey, the transgenics are revealed to the public during the hostage crisis.  To survive against the familiars, Alec becomes a revved up soldier, by undergoing a dangerous transformation called the twelve.  White's insane mistress, Lela,  makes her first appearance.  Max begins getting over __Logan__ during a heist.  Alec is mortally wounded during an all out battle with the familiars, but by dying manages to regain control from 494._

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She lies sprawled across my bed, possessing it like a tigress.  Mashing my fist against my eyes, I shook my head.  I'd made a deal with the devil and now I was sleeping with her, brilliant, just brilliant.  

How tired I'd become of being the scapegoat, kicked and cursed and bullied.  I'd enjoyed a life of being the skinny kid in glasses, always second to the stronger man.  Then in the darkness of a late summer night, she'd come to me in my tiny post-pulse apartment.  Wrapped in black silk and wafting some musky perfume, her enormous dark eyes mesmerizing mine.  

"He's tiring of me, and I fear for my end at his hands," she had sobbed.  "This is all you must do Otto."  Then she had slunk towards me, shedding silk like skin, wrapping her arms around me, and whispering little plans in my ears.  

One black seduction, that was the moment which had brought me all of this misery.  Her traitorous words had intoxicated me.  Leadership and power, position and respect, she had offered me the moon and delivered it neatly in the palm of her dangerous little hands.  All that I'd had to do in return was remove the evidence of her treachery.

It had been natural that I, his right-hand man, had been the first at his side when he fell.  The bastard had always told me that I'd make a better sneak thief than a soldier, and he had been right.  Not a single person had seen me palm the small dart from beneath him, they'd all been wrapped in fear in confusion at his tragic death.

Later, as I'd respectfully laid his body out, I sliced a small cut through the remaining puncture wound.  My dear mentor had been sliced open from hip to hip, no one would ever bother with an autopsy, ever find the traces of poison clinging to his blood.

Two little jobs she'd said, she and 494 would do the rest.  White had been my mentor and commander, my brother in faith and the closest thing that I had ever had to a best friend.  He had also been a cruel tormentor since the moment we had both been able to talk.  Now his widow slept in my arms.

Lela leaned forward and ran a long nail down my cheek.  "Conscience is such a liability for a man in power, you really do need to learn to let it go.  I lick my lips unconsciously.

"Perhaps you could teach me."  My attempt at a seductive expression froze, and I gasped as she raked her fingers along my cheek."

"Lesson one Lover, always draw blood."

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_Blood ran down his sculpted chest, soaking through his shirt and tinting the muddy ground red.  I pressed furiously against the wound below his heart, but I can feel his pulse weakening._

_The sodden ground could bear his weight no longer, and he began to sink into the mire.  As the foul water flooded over his face, his hazel eyes snapped open and stared blankly and unseeingly into the sky.  My mouth opened in an ear-splitting scream as the sound of far-off gunfire approached._

"Bang, bang, thud."  Wood screeches on metal, and warm arms grip me, yanking me from my dream.  The eyes holding mine now, are so full of life and fire, that I sob recklessly into his shoulder.

"The same dream again?"  I nod my head as he begins to rub his hands across my back in slow circles.  "You're going to have to start sleeping better Maxie.  If I break your door down one more time, it's going to give up and fall off of its hinges."  Yanking on his hands, I pull him down onto the bed beside me.

"It's all your fault you know," I yawn sleepily and curl into his shoulder.

"How's that?"

"You just had to make me care about you.  If you would have kept up the self-centered jerk act I'd be able to sleep at night."

"Sorry."  His warm breath tickles my cheek.  My hand brushes beneath his shirt to rest against his abdomen.  Immediately, the heat between us changes and our arms tighten involuntarily around one another.  With a jerk, he struggles to rise and I grab his arm grumpily.

"Just where do you think that you're going?"

"We have a meeting in command in ten minutes."

"You're a fast sprinter, that leaves eight minutes for other activities."  Heat flushes my cheeks as I realize the way that might have sounded.  Since the night of Alec's miraculous recovery, nearly a week ago, we had been rather shy around each other.  The need to back up and take things slowly raged against the heat I felt around him.  Besides, I wasn't sure whether Alec would feel the same about me when he wasn't on the brink of death.  Besides that, I really did owe Logan a clean break this time.  Besides, well, uhm…

So six days had passed and we'd tiptoed around the mention of those two kisses.  We only touched for prolonged periods of time when I had these nightmares of the battle.  When I woke screaming and dry-heaving, then Alec became my lifeline to the world of the living, cradling me against his chest and offering me the comfort of his arms.

I felt his hands slow their circular motion against my back and smirked as I realized that the warmth of my bed had worked its spell on Alec, and that he was falling asleep.

Soon I would need to find the courage to fix this.  Explain my decision to Logan.  Have a long overdue discussion with Alec on the nature of my feelings for him and his reciprocation of them.  Then, if all went well, we might test to see if the incredible energy present in those first deathbed kisses still burned between us.

A yawn cracked my jaw and I laid my head down on his broad shoulder.  Heaviness dragged my eyelids downwards, and I snuggled beneath the blankets.  There would always be time for talking tomorrow.  


	2. Three Words Then Goodnight

_Three words.__  I love you.  I Love You.  Shakespeare composed sonnets.  Menelaus slaughtered __Troy__ in its name.  Men live for it and men die for it.  For it to last in perfection death is a necessity.  If Romeo and Juliet had lived through more than a week of marriage she would have had time to discover that he was a thug with raging hormones, and he would have tired of her religious zealousness and whininess.  It's never perfect.  Sometimes it will sting like hell, and burn twice as badly.  Then comes the worst situation, my situation.  La amour de loin.  The love from afar; the lover who doesn't love you in return.  Six days ago I died.  Some might even say that I died for love.  Six days ago I said three words to the hellcat of a girl that claimed my heart.  I think that I may have to die another death before she says them back to me._

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"Tap, tap, tap."  My fingers beat out a dread tattoo on the boardroom table.  Sensitive transgenic ears pick up the sound like the beating of bongo drums.  A dozen pairs of genetically enhanced eyes seethe angrily at me.  Using what has become an unfair advantage, I smile my patented cocky, I'm gods gift to women smile.  It used to piss people off, but now icy stares melt in my direction as everyone remembers how long it's been since that particular expression graced my face.  Except Kate, slightly less emotionally involved, who continues to pin me mercilessly in her gaze.  With a nod in her direction I fold my hands respectfully in my lap.

"Of course we are going to take the offer."

"Don't be foolish CeCe, we haven't even heard their terms yet.  Hell we don't even know if there are going to be terms yet, this might be one big setup and ambush designed to capture Max and leave us leaderless."

"Who's being foolish now Mole?  It doesn't seem slightly paranoid to assume that everything is a big government conspiracy?"

"Right CeCe, and Manticore wasn't at all a government funded, top secret sham?"

"This is a legitimate senator that we're talking about here Mole.  I did all of the research on her personally, do we have to go over this again?  You're suggesting we pass up what might be our one chance at legitimate recognition."

Our heads shot back and forth like spectators at a Wimbledon tennis match.  They'd been having this discussion off and on for hours.  Eventually they would just rehash all of the points, driving them into the ground, and then sit silent for another twenty minutes or so before starting it all over again.

"Tap, tap, tap-tap."  I glance around for the culprit, and Kate smiles guiltily, halting her fingers mid-tap.

"Enough."  At long last our leader speaks.  "Dix, get Senator Burnhart back on the phone.  Arrange a meeting for tomorrow."  Max holds up a hand for silence before any of us, and most especially Mole, have a chance to vent our disapproval.  "This dicking around while the angry hordes gather at our gates isn't getting us anywhere.  Besides, whereas we could most certainly take the military in a fair hand to hand fight, there are a hundred times more of them than there are of us, and I get the feeling that we'd be seriously outgunned."

"And you're bored of sitting on your hands, not getting to hit anything."  I take it as a sign of Max's increasingly tender feelings towards me, that she only glared instead of getting up out of her chair and punching me in the nose.

_Oh the seemingly endless number of times that Max had punched me in that particularly vulnerable area.  Why do they always go for the nose?  Do I have a sign painted on my forehead that says "Please break my nose, it'll be funny and relieve the tension in your shoulders immensely._

Ufh.  Biggs elbowed me roughly at the ribs, and tilted his head in Dix's direction.  "…Eleven o'clock.  She "respectfully" asks you don't come armed, as you would not appreciate the consequences."

"See, I told you this was a government trap."

"Because a smart senator holds meetings with ARMED, genetically engineered killing machines."

"Ahem."  Dix cleared his throat ostentaciously.  "She also said that Max was free to bring her a second transgenic with her, to act as counsel."  Oh god, here we go again.

"Obviously you ought to bring someone who is skilled in organization and tactical planning."

"What you need is someone who can recognize a trap in time to save your ass from getting killed."

"Really Mole, and you think that you should be a poster child to the government because you just scream "of course transgenics can fit in with the rest of the population" and the senator might not be scared or anything."

"You got a problem with nomlies sister?"

"Just the paranoid schizophrenic, militaristic, pushy, overbearing."

"Alec."  The whole table turned to look at me.  "I'm taking Alec with me, as my second in command.  If he's up to watching my back that is?"  Her wide chocolate eyes locked on mine, eyes a boy could lost in, eyes to die for.

"I'll always have you."  Even if I never had her at all.


	3. Break a Boy

_Why oh why do I string the men along?  Tell me exactly how I happen to have accumulated not just one, but two heartbroken lovers?  Hell I can't even call them lovers.  That would have entailed actually engaging in fun physical activities with one or more of them.  All I've ever done is taste.  Looks bad, tastes good.  Wicked Little Witch.  Here kitty kitty.  You can sip, but don't get drunk._

_That's all about to change.  Can't have two, and when it comes down to it, it isn't really any choice at all.  A tigress needs a tiger, the animal needs her mate.  I want his fire, his heat, and, hell, even his stupidity.  Lethal weapons don't hold hands over wine.  Now it falls to me to fix my mistakes.  Tell the other boy to run away while he's still playing with a full set of internal organs.  You know you couldn't have handled me anyway._

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I smell him in the air and freeze.  It isn't the scent of a heady lover or heart-palpatating danger, it's just the familiarity of his sweat and nervous energy.  Now is the time to act, time to spill my guts, time to clear the air.  Wonder what's cooking in the mess-hall?  No, have to focus, the future is at stake here.  My nose follows his trail back up to the command center, and my feet carry me up the stairs.

Logan is waiting for my in my little office at the back of command, hands folded prim as a school mistress in his lap.  Somehow he manages to be dwarfed by his surroundings, while at the same time filling up the small space with his emotions.  His lower lip quivers as he looks up at me.  Then as quickly as though someone had flipped a switch on him he smiled largely, baring his teeth, and started in on what was obviously a pre-prepared speech.

"Hi Max, you're looking well."  Reply doesn't seem necessary and I wait to see where he's going before committing myself to a particular mood.  "I wanted to see you, see how you were doing.  Sorry that I missed out on the fun the other day, but I didn't hear about it until it was too late.  Hope that everyone is okay.  Thought I'd see if there was anything that I could do."  A cool sneer curls my lips at his assumption, and offer; and I speak without thinking.

"We have all the help we need burying Our dead, thank you."  The uncalculated cruelty in my voice caused me too flinch, I shouldn't be acting so harsh when I'm about to bury a hatchet in his back.  Besides, the battle wasn't his fault, it didn't even really involve him.  While my brain is frantically scrambling for a kind, safe thing to say, Logan masters his pained expression and makes another brave stab at conversation.

"Anyway, I heard on the informant net that you've been contacted by Senator Burnhart, and set up a meeting for tomorrow."  Didn't take him long to get to the point.  Annoyance flares my  nostrils like a prize-fighting bull, no doubt where he's going with this one.  So he tended to overlook the fact that there was a highly superior, genetically engineered brain behind my deceptively pretty, genetically engineered face.  He's assuming that I'll be desperate for his help and counsel for my big meeting, that I need a big, wise, super, cyber-journalist to hold my hand and whisper words in my ear.  No doubt he doesn't even think that I'm fit to lead myself let alone an entire people.  I breathe easier, this poignant lack of respect of him will make what I'm about to do much easier.

I plaster a smile so uncharacteristically wide and saccharine sweet over my face, that a wiser person would have been worried.  "And you thought that I might like to take you with me?"  A pathetic expression mixing gratitude and false humility glows on lips and eyes.

"Of course you know all you have to do is ask Max."  The cold murderous intent of a tiger on the prowl overtakes me, begging me to let it toy with him before ripping out his jugular.  My voice lowers dangerously while still saying sugary sweet.

"That's really too kind of you Logan."  His chest puffs out.  Now, my primal side screams, now is the time to lay into him.  "It's really a good thing that I have you here Logan."  Could his smile possibly grow any wider?  Silly question, it doubled in dimensions and threatened to swallow his face.  "If you weren't here I who would tie my shoes in the morning and give me permission to use the restroom."  His head, with its ridiculous expression, is still nodding in agreement not yet having caught up with the train of my words.  "Any day now we'll have to make you leader of the freedom movement."  A small shudder runs through his body and his head stops mid nod as realization overtakes his slower brain.

"What?  No, I mean I would never presume to think…"

"That I can't handle things?  That a bunch of highly trained, genetically engineered super-humans can't survive on their own without a big wise normal too hold their hands?"  His mouth gapes like a fish, but I cut off his speech, with an angry wave of the hand.  "Get this and get it good.  We don't need your help.  Alec and I are going to meet with the senator.  We are going to fix things for our people.  I don't need your help for this.  I will always value as a friend, but there is no chance of you controlling me.  Not as leader, and not as a lover.  We can't work together by compromise, so we just won't work.  I'm sorry, but I'll never fit your mould.  I like the danger and the dirt.  I don't have it in me to be clean, and neat, and calmly rational."  Thank god, his mouth finally shuts as realization sinks in to his head.

"What are you talking about, what is this."   He glances around as if trying to spot a hidden camera or teleprompter.  Still ironically, he isn't ready to credit any of my thoughts to me.  "Is this from the others?  Can't have a leader with a normal?  Face it Max, you need me.  You don't have experience with leadership, or living."  The pity I was feeling is pushed to the back of my conscience.

"Living isn't something you can teach.  It's something that a person has to learn on their own.  Don't you dare to presume, to tell me how to live."

"You need me.  This isn't ever over between us Max, so let's just spare ourselves all of this denial again, and work out whatever little problems your having."  His eyes blaze into mine, and I feel nothing.  There is no love, no deep truths, not even any remorse running through me."

"I don't want you."  After all of the heartache, all of the waiting and tears, and months of fear that I'd been forced to give up this great thing, it all came down to one simple fact.  We might be friends, he was a really nice guy with a great deal to offer, and we'd been through a hell of a lot together; but I didn't want him.  Deep down I never really had, not seriously.  "I don't want you, and I'm sorry.  You're a great friend, but that's all."

He doesn't speak again.  Just backs numbly out of my office door, staring blankly into my face.

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Otto was such a clingy little thing.  His small hands tugging at my arm, desperate for my attention, needing my advice for every little maneuver.  Such a shame that I'd had to dispose of Ames, at least he'd been a man to be proud of.  

The man I trailed had more of Otto in him, than White; a pathetic, shriveled and sniveling thing.  I placed him in my head.  There had been intel pictures of him getting intimate with the transgenic's leader.  Apparently, he hadn't been man enough to satisfy her.  The beast she kept as a watchdog though, now what a lover he would make.  It had come as quite a shock to see him walking around in the land of the living, I couldn't mistake that delicious figure walking across the green in the transgenic's pathetic little city.  No doubt that he couldn't be left that way.  This leader, this Max, and especially her watchdog couldn't be left alive.  Not if the familiars were to have their day in the sun.

To the familiars I was an outcast, but I'd found a way to survive and I would have my revenge.  I would see that they had their genocide, with my little Otto at their head.  I would make him brilliant and strong for them.  With my help he would be a leader such as my Ames had been.  Then I would rule them all from my position at Otto's back.

The future spreads gloriously before me, the power of a queen, the power of a god; and the pathetic, discarded lover walking away ahead of me is the key.


	4. Half Past Gone, Numb Past Dead

_Pain like fire, burning me outside in.  How can I breathe, how can I live, how do I make it?  How do I wake up and move, knowing that I can't see her today, or tomorrow, or a world of tomorrows?  She needed me; I'd given her all that she had.  She was everything, the standard, the beauty of the world.  Her hairs still clung to the cover of my couch, from when she'd last lay there. The echoes of her laughter still reverberated through every room of my place, filling it with emptiness.  She crushed me, she burnt me, and she made me a slave to the prison of my lonely thoughts._

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Naugahyde cradled my thighs kindly, as it had bar patrons for centuries before me.  The hard liquor burned by throat, biting me, so unlike the wine that I usually imbibed in.  Little patterns formed on the cracked wooden countertop, spilled beer and disinfectant spray pooling into the joints and flowing in sickly rivulets.  A scuffle erupted behind me.

"She was mine you fuck."  Fist connected on bone and flesh.  Flecks of blood sprayed the already filthy floor.  It's always over a girl.  Would it faze her I wonder, if I were to fight him for her hand.  Excite her to see a pair of men fight over her like a bone?  What primal forces infected her blood and made of her a beast beyond by comprehension.  They may have made her lovelier than the night, but they'd made her as cruel as the darkness.  Even through the incomprehensible pain which her words had caused me, I'd sensed the animalistic delight she had taken in ripping me to shreds.  Maybe I deserved it.  When a tourist hops the fence to pet the tigers, they can't complain when they get mauled.

No damn it, I should have her.  I splash my fist angrily in the primordial soup before me.  I fought for her, I win her.  The weariness closes over me and I come dangerously close to leaning my head on the counter.  Sobs rip unrestrainedly through me; I am truly drunken and alone.

"What great tragedy can have such a man to tears?"  The husky contralto tone of the voice at my shoulder ripples up and down my spine.  She gasps softly, deep in her throat and brushes her fingers against my arm.  "No, not a tragedy, it was a woman of course; a silly woman who couldn't see what she had.  Only a little fool would toy with such a man."  A prostitute of course, but I couldn't help but listen to one who's words soothed the ache in my chest.

"Not looking to buy company."  As a man of principle I should send her on her way.  Her chuckle reverberates richly through the alcohol haze.

"Finding a man of true morals is so rare, but you mistake yourself.  I'm not for sale handsome."  My face flushes in deep embarrassment at my shameful assumptions.  I attempt to stutter out an apology.

"Why don't you make it up to me and buy me a drink handsome."  My drunken face turns up happily; maybe a little company wouldn't be a bad thing, a pair of willing arms to erase the bad memories for a night.  I wave my hand at the bar tender, and she slides sinuously into the seat beside me.

My breath catches in my throat as she leans into the light and I get my first look at her.  Not the drug-wasted face of a lifelong bar fly, which her forwardness had caused me to expect.  Instead, I found flawless mocha skin complemented by a tiny clinging, crimson dress, and an exotic oval face framed by a cloud of the darkest brown hair.  She was gorgeous and erotic.  She could have been Max's older sister.  Except that Max had never exuded seduction at me as this woman was.

She is speaking, her husky tones washing over me, but the content of her words is beyond the comprehension of my drunken mind.  I begin to slide off of the barstool, and her breasts press suggestively against my flesh as she catches me in deceptively strong arms.

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The smoke rushes into my lungs, helping to wipe the taste of him from my mouth.  I couldn't say that I had been pleased, I'd expected better from a man who had kept company with the fearless leader of the transgenics.  To think that White had been unable to defeat a woman who had been this man's lover.  

In all fairness, he had been drunk last night.  He'd been well drunk past the point of reason or caring.  Giving him some credit he had never betrayed the actual identity of his old lover, but who else should the "stupid girl bringing ruin to her people" be.  The information had been worth a night of drudgery.

Max and her watchdog would be meeting with Senator Heather Burnhart tomorrow, in the official's downtown Seattle headquarters.  For an entire day both of them would be leaving the safety of their Terminal city exile.  That wasn't the best dirt I had gotten though.  His name was Alec, the watchdog's, and Logan seemed to think that he was responsible for stealing Max's heart away.  The poor man had been very adamant over this point.  He had thought that Alec's behavior was particularly low, because dear Alec had been in trouble with the law some time ago for a murder committed by a twin, and Logan had generously cleared the trouble up for him.  The fool had railed for some time about the ingratitude of the two of them, his old lover and her new lover.

My one night stand lay in his bed, oblivious to his surroundings.  Thank the fates that he'd been carrying a license.  It would have taken too much energy to bring him back to my place, and then get him safely away without being spotted by any of my dear brothers or sisters.  Better to leave now, and leave him to wonder if it had all been some beautiful dream.  If I needed him again, I knew where to find him.


	5. Glimmering Gold

They were gorgeous.  There was no other word for it.  Power radiated from their perfect bodies.  Self assurance wrapped their every movement like a flow of Japanese silk.  Sadness emanated like a mystique.  Sadness both for the atrocities that they'd committed at the behest of my government, and for the suffering that they had endured at the hands of their progenitors.

Besides all that nonsense, I'd also never before seen such physically perfect specimens.  I was beginning to wonder if Manticore had been creating soldiers or living, breathing Barbie and Ken dolls.  The pair before me could have been poured from plastic moulds, except that no modern marvel of technology could have created such obvious force of personality.

With easy nonchalance they submitted to the weapons search.  I suppose a gun didn't matter much to a being who was in essence a living weapon.  Being a senator did involve certain risks, and this meeting was one of them.  After passing inspection, I wave the guards away and shut the door behind them.

"Please, have a sit.  Can I get either of you anything, some water perhaps."  Maybe some milk for the nice kitties.

"Thank you, but no."  The boy smiles charmingly at my offer displaying perfect, even, white teeth.  I want to ask what their names are, but then I'm not really sure whether they have names or numbers, and whether it would be politically correct of me to ask.

"I'm Alec by the way, and this is Maxie."

"Max, actually."  The girl glares good-naturedly at her companion.  My smile tightens in response and the irrational part of my brain starts to fear mental telepathy.  I take a deep breath to ground myself, I can't start freaking out before we've even begun negotiations.  

"Well Max and Alec, I'd like to thank both of you for putting your faith in me by coming down here today.  Obviously whatever decisions are reached between us, the final outcome rests in the hands of the entire Senatorial body.  Think of this as a preliminary meeting to get everything out on the table.  First of all my main goal, which I'm sure that both of you share, is to end this situation without any bloodshed."

They continue to stare at me in a slightly predatory manner.  Not sizing me up for dinner, but constantly analyzing my intelligence and honesty.  As a senior member of the senate, even despite America's great downfall, I've become unused to being challenged by other people.  These two certainly weren't like the ass kissers that I had been surrounded with for so many years.  Frankly it's kind of refreshing.  The girl smiles sardonically.

"I can assure you of two things senator.  The first is that my people wish to avoid violence at all costs," she bares her teeth daintily "the second is that my people will fight to the death if they are forced to, and I really don't think that anyone would like the results of such a confrontation.  We were trained to defend ourselves quite powerfully."

For such an innocent looking little thing, the girl before me certainly isn't afraid to bare her teeth and claws.  I get the distinct feeling that she isn't going to appreciate my proposal, but I didn't make it to senior senator by dicking around the tough issues.  Putting on my most earnest face I lean towards them, and they unconsciously mimic my behavior.

"Well, as you both seem to favor plain speech, I'll lay it all out for you.  Firstly, as you probably both know the United States Armed Forces have been largely depleted in the years since the pulse.  We no longer have the manpower or equipment to be a global power."

"No."  The girl's voice shakes with cold restraint.  "I know what you're going to suggest and the answer is no.  We didn't escape just to get turned into killers again."  Panic balloons through my chest as they rise out of their seats, I seem to have backed myself into a corner.

"Please just hear me out."  They exchange dark looks, but the boy finally nods his head and they sit down again.  "Your people," it seems funny talking about these two all American looking kids as though they were another species, "they are used to a structured and disciplined environment.  It has occurred to me that some of them might be more comfortable returning to such an environment on a provisionary basis.  What I plan to recommend to my colleagues, is that volunteers be allowed to join the army on a provisional basis.  They would be given the same rights and responsibilities of any other enlisted person."

"And those who don't feel like volunteering?"  The boy's eyebrows tilt sardonically as though expecting the worst from a politician.  Considering what they knew of the government, the attitude didn't really surprise me.

"Those that feel more comfortable in segregation from society would be free to remain in your city.  Anyone brave enough to live outside may feel free to do so."

"That's it, you just let us all go?"  They wore identical looks of disbelief on their perfect faces.

"Not quite."

"Oh here we go."  I suppressed a laugh as the girl punched the boy in the shoulder.

"It will be mandatory for anyone under the age of eighteen to either remain in Terminal City, attend a state run military school, or go through the adoption process and be assigned to a willing family, either transgenic or human.  In addition, every one of you will be required to carry a card with you at all times, which identifies your transgenic status.  The card needn't be displayed, it is simply to identify you to the authorities."  The girl's eyes narrow dangerously and the boy places a restraining hand on her arm.

"Well Senator, I have to say that on the surface it seems to be a very generous offer.  So what's that catch, what is it that you want from us in return."

"Maxie."  She silences him with a glare, and my pent up mirth escapes in a small chuckle.

"Actually, Max is right.  I do have something like a favor to ask of both of you."  This is the moment of truth for me.  In all honesty I admire the transgenics and I do believe that they've gotten a raw deal from the country.  Back in my youth I'd marched in anti-war protests and chained myself to trees, and somewhere deep down the activist spirit hadn't died out.  I'd become a senator to make a difference and it had won me enemies along the way.  It had all lead me here to this room.  "I have a favor to ask specially to the two of you.  In appreciation for what I am offering to your people, I would like you to act as my personal army."

"What you've got some political enemies you need killed?  I haven't done a hit like that in a couple of years, I might be rusty."

"What I'm asking my dear boy, is that if I might happen to need some intel gathered from a colleague, or some spare protection during a particularly important public speech, the two of you would be there to provide assistance."  They share a look, and so quickly that I miss it, some secret thought passes between them.

"Well Senator Burnhart, we'd like to thank you for your time and especially your generous offer.  Obviously, the decision is subject to senatorial approval on your side, and I of course need to confer with my people.

"I'll be flying to Washington next Monday."

"You'll have our answer by then."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Why is that just when life is starting to pull together, something always has to drop on you to screw it up?_

"Mole is never going to go for it, you know that Maxie."

"The hell with Mole, what are we going to do about adopting out all of those children?"

"Are you cool with it?  Doing this woman's dirty work?"

"Well it isn't so different from doing Logan's Eye's Only work.  If it will get our people their freedom, wouldn't you do it?"  His eyes catch mine in that way that takes my breath away and makes my skin flush.

"I would do anything, you know that."

"I do."  So fast he must have blurred he stands inches from me, face leaning delicately towards mine, hands stroking gently down my arms.  Now is the moment of truth, I can tell him about Logan and the tingly feeling he gives me when his skin brushes mine.

"I have to ask you something Maxie."  His breath tickles my face softly.

"First I need to tell you something."  The signature grin spreads over his lips, and he leans impossibly closer, his lips brushing against my hair and cheeks.

"Something good?  Do I have to guess?"  My face tilts towards his, as if with a life of its own.

"I…"  The metallic screeching and wail of sirens behind us drown out my words with horrendous finality.

"Hands up and back away from the girl slowly."  Bright lights shined into Alec's eyes turning them into deep wells.

"Yeah, its him.  You have the right to remain silent, anything you say…"

"Stop, stop, what the hell's going on here?"

"You might want to back away from that guy honey, believe me when I say that he isn't your prince charming."

"What's he charged with then?"

"You kidding lady, this guys a regular psycho.  Killed a half dozen people and ripped their teeth out."  Oh great, just what we needed right now was this shit again.

"It wasn't him."

"Right, it was his evil twin, huh."

"Look Maxie, we don't need bad publicity right now.  Really can't afford to beat the crap out of a dozen policeman," said policeman were either looking at us suspiciously or taking in my physique and laughing their heads off, "I'll just go down to the station quietly and we'll get this sorted out again."  His eyes are solemn beneath the devil may care expression, and I nod my head in acceptance.

"I'll have you out by tomorrow morning."

"I know."

His fingers brush mine one last time before he's shoved head first into one of the attendant police cars.  I wasn't really worried, we'd dealt with this crisis once before.

It was only that, when I turned away I saw in the distance a flash of brilliant crimson skirt and the flicker of moonlight on long, dark, black hair.


	6. They Still Bleed

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."  Sound assaults my ears, pummeling my brain, and battering at the space behind my eyes.  The raspy clamor of my own inhalations was enough to bring tears to my eyes.   Movement seems millions of miles away, but I wasn't trained to give up in situations like these.

  Focusing with single-minded purpose on my hands, I imagined a hot beam of light breaking through the ice in my veins.  After three or four attempts, I was rewarded by the dismal thudding sound of heavy chains clinking.  Whoever had taken me prisoner apparently didn't plan on letting me go without a fight.  

What had happened to me?  I remembered meeting with Senator Burnhart, the near-kiss with Max, and then it became somewhat fuzzy.  I had a muddled impression of lots of bright lights and sirens, the police maybe?  Yes, the police had cornered us and started shouting something about me killing people and ripping their teeth out.  The same business with my good old brother Ben, only I thought that we'd cleared that little issue up with the police the last time it had happened. 

 Somehow the scenario didn't fit.  The police knew that Ben was dead and that I was just an unfortunate twin.  They shouldn't still be searching for the killer.  A hideous foreboding chilled my already frozen body.  Brutal and corrupt as the Seattle PD had become; they didn't usually go around drugging prisoners.  

That meant one of two not very pleasant things.  Either the police had figured out what I was, or the whole thing had been an elaborate sham of the Familiars to get me to surrender myself without too much of a fight.  I hoped to god that it was the former situation, but somehow the latter was coming out as the more likely of the two choices. 

 A new found panic seized me, pumping me full of adrenaline.  Clutching the inbred core of my bravery I snapped open my eyelids.  For a few moments sheer, blind panic enslaved my senses.  The room surrounding me was a singular shade of dull, metallic grey.  

I forced myself to breathe, and slowly opened my eyes again for a better look.  There wasn't any way that I could be back in the Grey.  No, while my prison was indeed painted in a certain, horrendously familiar shade, it was a real room with real dimensions.  I soak in the minute details of the place.  Even the crude, bumps in the cinderblock walls are comforting in their tangibility.  

Scanning more deeply, I see the imbedded outline of a door on the opposite wall.  Not useful as an escape route, even at full strength I would never be able to break the three inch thick manacles around my wrists, and the chains attached to them appear to be imbedded into the concrete of the walls.  Venting my growing frustration I bang my shackled wrists against the walls.  

"Good morning sunshine."  The voice seems to materialize out of thin air, though common sense dictates that there must be an intercom hidden somewhere.  "Or should I say killer."  It is a woman's voice, and an incredibly seductive one at that.  She chuckles at her own words in a husky contralto.

"So, I'm guessing that this isn't the police station."  My feeble attempts at wit just increase her laughter.  "Any chance of getting a decent cheeseburger in this place?"  May as well try to score some food out of the deal.  I haven't eaten since yesterday morning, even assuming that I wasn't unconscious for more than one night.

"Such a funny boy.  If I hadn't had a little chat with my new friend, I'd think that you weren't the right person."  I'm beginning to wonder if the woman isn't a little off her rocker, there's a certain edge to her voice that doesn't sound quite balanced.  "It's a shame really, we could have had so much more fun as you were."

As I was?  Is she confusing me with Ben, or was she someone that I'd met as my alter-ego, as 494?  "Where am I?"  It seemed like the next logical question for a prisoner to ask.  She giggles again, and I can distinctly detect a touch of madness in the deep tones.

"Now that would be telling Tiger.  And if I told, then it wouldn't be a secret anymore.  No, your just going to sit tight like a good little canary, I've still got me a kitty cat to catch.  Then I'll be queen, won't that be nice?  They will all fall at my feet, and I will keep you as my pet."  Well, no point in wondering about her sanity, cats and canaries my ass.  Then it struck me.  If she knew me, then she had the inside dope on the transgenic resistance.  I hadn't been the only one to compare Max to a cat.  I yelped as I jerked futilely on the chains and my knuckles banged forcibly against the cement walls.  Cats and canaries, I was bait and sure as Max's martyr complex, she would come for me.

"I'll get out of here.  If you're a familiar, then you know what I am.  You know that I can take whatever you want to dish out, so you might as well give up now."  Her mocking laughter trickles to a stop and I hear a sharp hiss of breath over the intercom.

"My, my the tiger has claws, but he should learn to keep his tongue.  She will come for you, and I will have her.  I'll have you and your little bitch, I'll have my people and the land will tremble.  Just remember, transgenic or not you can still bleed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I ran so fast my body blurred like water on a painted canvas.  Had to get back to TC, had to get help, had to get him back.  Needed to have him back.  Strangled sobs cut through me.  Twenty four hours ago I'd cut my ties with Logan and become a free woman.  Twelve minutes ago the man that I loved was ripped out of my arms by a stupid twist of fate.

So harsh was my anger that I forwent the secret entrance to the city, instead vaulting like the cat I was over the heads of the protestors and the edge of the wall.  Brushing off the hands of my perimeter guards, I continued to run like a woman possessed.  Fear preyed on the edges of my mind.  I'd seen her, I'd seen the dark woman from my dreams.  If she had been involved in Alec's arrest then he was in deep shit.

Barely breathing hard, I flung myself through the door to command central.  The looks on their faces brought me up short.  All of the anger and adrenaline that had kept me going through my flight ebbed away.  Biggs shot forward and caught me just as my knees buckled.  "I'm so sorry Max."

"Familiars?"  My voice was surprisingly controlled, as though another person were speaking my lines.

"We think so."

"Is he still alive?"

"Oh yes.  He's strong Max, he can take this."

"He can still bleed."

"They sent us a message over a cable hack about twenty minutes ago."

"They want me in return."  No one speaks.  No one needs to.


	7. Chain Reaction

_Her nails rake across my flesh like the shivs of a cat.  Blood pools and eddies, cutting paths along the stubble on my cheeks.  A damp sponge touches against the back of my neck and I tense for the jolt of electricity which is sure to follow.  My teeth clamp down on the shock and I come all too close to biting off my own tongue._

_"Poor canary won't sing.  Doesn't need to sing cause soon mommy will have what she wants.  My dearest little sister will come and I'll take her blood for my tea."  _

_She'd been rambling on in this vein for some time and it was starting to grate on my last nerve.  Not only did she seem to be bent on using me to capture the woman I loved, but she was torturing me for absolutely no good reason.  I'd had enough of this mindless torture to last me a lifetime back in psy-ops.  Although I had to admit that she was a great deal more inventive than Manticore had ever been._

_"Give us a kiss Tiger."  Gathering up the last of my strength I spit blood in her face.  She chuckles that god damned insane laugh again.  Leaning over me she smashed her fists into my kidneys and delicately lapped my blood off of her lips._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're being completely irresponsible Max."  I just glared at Mole, not bothering to reply.

"For god's sakes Max you're our leader you can't do this.  Let me go in your place at least."

"They asked for me specifically.  If it's anyone else, they'll kill him.  I can't risk his life."

"But you can Max."  Biggs spoke at last.  "You're our leader and a part of that is putting your life above those you command.  You're the Chosen One, your blood might be the key to saving the world.  Alec is a soldier, what do you think he'd do in your position?"  Tears fill my eyes, I know that they're right, but it's Alec.  "In the end we're all soldiers.  In the end, he's just a soldier."

"In the end, he's the man I love."  They're eyes widen in comic shock, and for once Mole seems to be at a loss for words.

"I don't think that I could deal with not having him, and I don't think that you want a distraught leader on your hands."  I give them the barest hint of a feral smile.  Argue as they might, I knew that I'd won.  I would rescue him, and I would have help.

"Okay Max, alright, but if we are doing this, then you have to promise me two things.  One that you'll let us bring in discreet backup, and two, that you'll let me and Mole plan this thing because I don't think that you're going to be able to do this rationally."  Any angry retort almost breaks through my lips, but then I realize that they're probably right.

"Thank you guys, this means a lot to me."  Both of them look dumbfounded.  "If I'm not allowed in on this, then I think that I'm going to go to bed, get some rest for tomorrow cause I'm sure I'll need it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving Mole and Biggs, I just lay staring at the cracks in my ceiling and wondering if the roof would leak when it rained.  I wasn't sure how long I'd been laying there when I heard it, a deep, husky laugh which echoed off my poor walls.  Wondering if my next door neighbors were having a little too much fun next door, I swung my legs off of the bed and went to rise.

Moisture clung to the souls as I stood, not the chilly dampness of water but a lukewarm, viscous substance.  I couldn't bring myself to look down at the floor.  It was another dream, it had to be.  Pointedly looking straight ahead, I followed the sounds of the laughter out the door and down the hall to another apartment.  As I approached the door the liquid on the floor grew thicker and deeper.

My hand froze on the knob as I heard beneath the laughter, the barely perceptible sound of another person whimpering.  Screwing up my courage, I banged the door open.  "Alec!"  It was him god damn him, I'd never had these horrific, gory dreams about anyone else.

"Maxie?"  The call came from the next room.  Throwing caution to the winds, I dashed towards the sound of his voice.  His blood stuck my feet to the ground and my progress was achingly slow.  Finally crossing the room I shoved aside the dividing curtain, and found myself in a lushly appointed bedroom, Alec was nowhere in sight.

I made to turn around, and then the laughter started up again, this time though it seemed to be only inches away from my ear.  "Welcome my sister."  It was as though his blood had frozen me, I couldn't move.  The woman's dainty hands grasped me in a tight wrestlers hold, and she dragged me unceremoniously across the room, dumping me on the bed.  My first look at her wasn't much of a shock, before me stood the dark woman from my dreams.

"Who are you lady?"  My voice is rough as though I've been gargling Drano.

"What a question to ask, I am your sister of course."

"I've already got a half a dozen of those thank you, and I sure as hell ain't one of your familiar bitches."

"Oh I can assure that I feel no kinship with those familiar bitches as you call them.  Besides, the two of us share a much closer connection than you do with your other so called sisters."

"I don't share anything with you."  My voice quavers in desperation, I know where this is going and I don't like it one bit.

"Don't you?  We have shared the handsome little boy waiting for you in the next room, we have shared his blood as we share our blood."  I shake my head violently.  "I know it isn't a pretty thought for you my lovely, but now is the time to face facts.  When that traitor Sandeman started project Manticore he stole a few things.  I mean, why build super soldiers with simple human DNA, when you have access to the best?  You and all of your people share common blood with the people you so hate.  That is why Ames was so determined to slaughter all of you.  By our doctrines you are impure and unclean, and yet you share your DNA with us.  It was an enormous affront to his sensibilities.

"So then you're saying that they made me with a bit of you?  How the hell are you so sure that I'm not the product of another of your sisters?"  This is definitely not good.  Dream though this may be, it has a horrible feeling of reality.

"You do know what you are don't you?"  I nod my head mutely.  "You are the Chosen One, the one whose blood carries the antigen to cure the familiar's plague.  Sandeman wasn't really a fool, in time he would have made many more of you, but unfortunately for humanity, the familiars caught up with him first.  He "disappeared" before he could complete his work and so the world is left with one little girl as their savior."

"So why you?  What's so special about you?"  For the first time she steps fully out of the shadows and my breath catches in my throat.  Rimming her cheeks like a Maori warrior, are a smattering of the same ruins that have been appearing on me.

"The Chosen One must defend herself.  Let us say that a common ancestress of ours had a very bad temper and a willingness to use it on other people.  The first Sandeman bred me as the catalyst for destruction.  Over centuries the woman of my line have been selectively bred for this gene which causes the runes.  I am the last key necessary in the day of glory for the familiars.  On my body will be written the information which will complete the snake toxin.  The runes on your body will spell out the cure."

"Thanks for the tip bitch."  I expect her to show fright at having given away this secret, but instead she laughs again.

"Oh but I haven't told you what the catalyst is yet.  The runes are the product of a special chemical found in our bodies, one that codes for selective pigmentation.  In order to activate the chemical, an enzyme catalyst is required.  The enzyme has traditionally been passed down in the Sandeman line as a part of their genetic code.  What was not realized until recently, is that Sandeman the elder manipulated White's DNA at his birth, so that he no longer produced the enzyme.  So that you would have a source of the enzyme available to create your runes, he put it into another transgenic.  Your eventual mating was written in Manticore's database since before your conception.  To cover his tracks, Sandeman created a whole listing of suitable matches for each soldier that he created, but yours was the only important one."

"He's the catalyst.  That's why White was so determined to capture him too.  That's why you went through all of this trouble to kidnap him.  Without him, the ruins will disappear and I'll be useless to the cause." 


	8. By Thy Lips

Somewhere between a root canal and an orgasm exists the special feeling of euphoria and fear that is search and rescue work. Adrenaline pumps up and down my arms like an expensive drug. My skin tingles where the rushing wind brushes over it. No one shares these few private moments of pre-mission jitters with me. The familiars will search me the moment I set foot in their inner sanctum, and unlike most of the people I scam, they'll be thorough enough to find any wires or concealed weapons. I know that Biggs and CeCe are out there somewhere, trying to wedge in on my position, but so long as I can't see or hear or taste them, they cease to exist at this moment. The aloneness brings me fondly back to my days as a cat burglar. 

Before the weight of a people weighed on me, long before I'd ever hooked up with the handsome and sarcastic Alec, even ages before I'd bound myself to the Eyes Only cause. There had just been me and a skintight suit and my genetically engineered super girl abilities. Scared as I am I feel fabulous, this is what I was made for, blurring across a damp, deserted field about to lay down my life on the assurance that I was invincible. You can take the girl out of Manticore... 

My body slows automatically as I catch sight of the building that is my target. A deserted hotel in the middle of a deserted sleepy pre-pulse community. The place could be crawling with heavily armed familiars, I chuckled gleefully at the thought. The heavy, rotten door swings open at my push. As I step through I hear the tell-tale reverberating click of a nine-millimeter being drawn and cocked behind me. 

Slowly I bring my hands up and lace my fingers behind my head, the easier I make this the quicker I get to the real action. "Good girl." The voice is familiar, but not the one I'm expecting. Instead of a deep contralto, the person speaks with a lisping, uncertain tenor. "Otto, isn't it? Shouldn't you have flung yourself on your master's funeral pyre like a good little wife?" I bait him purposely to see if he's gained any nerve since our last meeting. 

"Hah, master? White was a fool, I serve a master of more potential now. Move." He steps around me, into the light, looking much the same as I remembered him from previous encounters. The same bent shoulders and slightly fearful look, only this time he had added a row of rather nasty looking, half-healed scratches across his left cheek. He waves the gun motioning me forward. I consider making my move now, but this whole situation might be a set up. Wouldn't want to knock Otto unconscious only to find that Alec and the dark woman weren't even in this building. 

The aged stairs groan beneath my light weight as we climb. "To the left." The second floor is a slight improvement over the first floor. Fresh curtains hang over the windows, and the walls don't show the same signs of decay. Without being told, I walk towards the end of the hall. My dream is bearing out as creepily accurate. I'm thankful that the sloshing coating of blood seems to be missing from the floors. As we approach the door I hear a woman's voice lifted quietly in song. My stomach turns softly, I'm about to come face to face with the dark woman; the crazy bitch that kidnapped my lover, the psycho that claims to be some kind of sister to me.  

Knocking the gun out of Otto's hands, I rush forward and bash the door open.  She stands in the center of the room.  She stands unclothed, covered from head to toe in his blood.  Barely visible beneath the red, sheets and scrolls of runes decorate her skin.  I'm too late to hide the poison.  All I could do now was somehow rescue Alec while making my own escape.

Laughing madly, she stands immobile with her head thrown back.  She doesn't even twitch as I shove her to the floor.

Breathe.  I slide aside the curtain which separates the anteroom from her bedroom.  He is almost unrecognizable for cuts, and blood and bruises.  Breathe.  I drop to my knees and touch my fingers against his downward tilted face.  A deep moan escapes his lips, and I know he lives.  Leaning towards him, I brush my lips against his.  The light smacking of a footstep behind me sends me whirling to my feet.  For some reason my balance is off and I almost pitch forward.

"'Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after?  I will kiss thy lips; perhaps some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die'**.  Shakespeare wrote that you know, or would you?  I suppose that Manticore wasn't much for classical education.  You'll enjoy that little poison, not deadly of course but it could stop a charging elephant.

Hands gripping my stomach, I sink to my knees and then the floor.  I can feel nothing but the strength ebbing from me.  She holds out a scalpel from her tray and advances purposefully on Alec.  My body starts forward but lacks the strength to finish the motion.  In one smooth motion she swipes down and cuts his bonds, then catches him in her arms as he slumps forward.  With the deceptive strength of transgenic and familiar, she hoists him out of the chair.

"Say goodbye Tiger."  Ignoring the fact that the window is closed, she flings him at it.  Time freezes for a moment and his now open eyes catch mine.  I mouth three words and he nods once.  Glass shards fly at us like tiny projectiles, but she remains next to the window as if they didn't exist.  "Damn it all."

"Forget about opening it first, Sister?"  I put as much sneer into the words as I can manage.

"Sure sweetie, whatever you say.  Now take a little nap and then we'll talk."  As if by command, my head slumped to the floor and my eyelids slid closed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank god we arrived when we did."

"Easy for you to say, you didn't half to catch his deadweight, fat ass."

"Fat Biggs?"

"Come on CeCe, I say he hasn't been working out lately."

"Hey, I think he's coming around."

"He's just been mumbling, same thing over and over again.  I can't make out the words though.  Give him another couple hours and maybe we'll get something coherent out of him."

I heard them talking about me, but I had yet to fight my way through the fog that still surrounded me.  She'd said it; I know it wasn't a hallucination.  Just before I'd fallen into Biggs less than accommodating arms, she'd caught my glance.  I finally had what I wanted, I had love.  Now I had to live long enough to get her back.

**The quote is from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.


	9. Passive Voice, Future Tense

Author's Note:  This chapter is going to switch back and forth between many new, or little used characters.   Think of it as a montage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stupid boy.  Stupid pair really, rushing off to sacrifice themselves for one another.  Personally I can't imagine anything more ridiculously stupid or useless.  I just know that only one of them is going to come back, and whichever one it is will be covered in blood with a few bones busted for good measure.  Damn superhero types.  "Kate?"

"In here Dix.  Did they bring Alec back, or Max?"  It can't possibly be that both of them were rescued.

"They've got Alec, and he's injured of course."  I'm worried in spite of myself, indestructible though he seems, I think that he might be on his ninth life by know.

"Nothing life threatening right?"

"No, just a shitload of cuts, bruises, broken bones, burns, and basically anything else superficial and painful that that bitch could inflict on him."  Then the irregularity of the situation comes to me.

"Not that I don't love your company Dix, but why'd they send you ahead?"

"Oh, they sent me with a sample for you to analyze.  They couldn't move him for a few hours until he stabilized and they wanted you to get working on this right away.  It's a sample of toxin.  Apparently that psycho familiar bitch smeared a poison on his lips, figuring that the first thing Max would do when she got to him was kiss him.  We want you to analyze it to see if we can duplicate it.  Apparently the stuff works damn fast, and its literally strong enough to incapacitate you for a couple of hours."

I look disbelievingly at the little vial in my hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charlotte smiles smugly to herself, hands folding against the waist of her high necked, ceremonial robe.  Five more days until the Day of Silence, and as the first born daughter in the oldest line of familiars she would be presiding over the ritual.  She can practically hear the screams of the poor foolish humans who will soon be extinct.  Hers will be the position of power, the title of queen is sure to be bestowed on her.  A shame that she would have to wed that spineless boy Otto, but she was quite sure in her ability to dominate him.

"Lotta, I have heard from one of Lela's servants, she has undergone the final transformation.  Our scholars and alchemists are ready to begin the process of translating the runes into the formula for the toxin."  Charlotte's lip curls at the mention of her outcast sister.  She was a pathetic little piece of baggage, scorned by her people and only kept for this one purpose.  After the Day of Silence was over, Lotta would have to think of a fitting way of disposing of the little fool.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jacob looked with concern at the old man at his side.  The grandfatherly figure had been his mentor and idol since Jacob was a very young child, though at the age of nineteen one would hardly consider Jacob old.  He had always seemed to Jacob, to be filled with a sort of special internal light, but this past week he had seemed to grow both in power and sadness.  Jacob knew that the Day preyed heavily on his mentor's mind, though he rarely spoke of it.

"We are almost there sir, but I have to ask you how you plan on getting in once we arrive.  From what I hear the security is very tight, and we can hardly vault the perimeter fence as one of them would."  The old man smiled his gentle smile, and his blue eyes sparkled merrily behind his thick glasses.

"Now really Jacob, have you ever known me to be without a plan."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I smiled at the boy at my side.  At the very darkest point in my life, when I feared that forty years of planning and careful work had been useless, I had found Jacob.  In the most unexpected place I had found a quick and accepting mind, and more importantly an ally for the hard times in the future.

Sadly I shook my head at the protestors circling the city of the transgenics.  If those poor fools only realized that had the transgenics been the vicious animals they thought them, they would have long ago been dead carcasses in the streets.

Carefully skirting the crowds the two of us walked to the back of the compound, and after a dozen minutes of careful searching we simply walked through the hidden entrance the presence of which I had counted on.

Stepping through as though we owned the place I held my hands out to the guards in Manticore's stopping signal, before they opened fire.

"I would like to speak to Joshua if he is available."


	10. The Man and the Myth

_When you're a bastard born of science, familial terms become relative.  Technically, I suppose that all of us are related to each other somehow.  If not through the same human genetic donors, then we have a common cat or dog ancestor somewhere.  Family are the people that have your back.  The person who took a bullet in the leg for you in Uzbekistan, the girl that took your work shift when you were down with the shakes so that they didn't catch you and dissect you, the people that stood by your side or in some cases the ones that you ran away with.  For all of the times of heard someone call a fellow soldier brother or sister or lover, I'd never heard the word used.  That's why it brought everything to such a ringing halt when Joshua said it._

"Father?"  The half-man, half-dog hybrid struck us all momentarily dumb and my gaze shifted automatically to the man to whom the question was addressed.

He was an elderly man, undoubtedly tall in his youth, but bent now that age had caught up with him.  An unremarkable looking fellow really, except that his eyes seemed to glow with an impossible light as he smiled at all of us.  We might have gone on staring at him all day if the soldier escorting our intruder hadn't cleared his throat.

"Sir, we caught this man at the south entrance, he and that boy just wandered right in and asked for Joshua."  The soldier whose name I pulled from the deeper recesses of my perfect memory, cleared looked down now, seeming almost abashed.

"Was there something else Hale?"  If I hadn't known better I would have said that Hale was deeply ashamed.

"He just got right past the guard sir."  Hale's cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson.  "And he also knew our sign language from Manticore."

Ah so there was the source of embarrassment, it was inconceivable that someone should know the secret hand signals which we used to communicate.  Had we been back at Manticore, the punishment for a stranger having learned our codes would have been severe.  I shudder to myself at the thought.

"Well, I assure both of you young fellas that I have a very good reason for learning your code."  My attention turns back to the old man.  This time I notice the younger man at his side.  He's about my age, with sandy brown hair and a slight muscular build.  Possibly an x-5, but some ingrained sense tells me that he isn't one of us.  Are these men familiars?  They don't seem menacing, if anything they're practically beaming good will at us.

"Ah of course, introductions would be in order.  As you may have guessed from dear Joshua's exclamation, I am Dr. R.J. Sandeman.  This young man here is my devoted student and invaluable assistant, Jacob."  I felt my jaw drop to somewhere around my knees.  There were just too many questions to ask.  "Now time is short, so I'd best get down to business.  I guess I might as well give you a bit of background, the story will make rather more sense that way."

_It all began over three thousand years ago.  Now I can see your panic, but don't worry the tale is more quickly told.  It all began three thousand years ago in Seour, the capital of the Phoenician empire.  There twelve scholars of great renown met once a year to discuss their advancements in science.  Then one year on the night of the meeting, a great revolt broke out in the town square, protesting the injustices committed by the ruling class on the peasants.  In the bloodthirsty mobs, two of the council were killed.  The remaining ten men were blinded by their grief at the loss of their brethren.  They saw both the injustice of the ruling class, and also the savagery of the peasants.  On that night they vowed that though it might take more years than could be counted, they would use their science to create a superior race.  Drawing from ancient mythos they selected the name Manticore to symbolize their society, and they passed this secret on too their sons._

_The ten scholars were men of peace.  They envisioned a gradual uplifting of the human race during which all of the human race would benefit from their genius.  Unfortunately the sons did not all have such honorable intentions.  Two thousand years from that fateful night, the aims of the society had changed.  Many of the sons and daughters felt that they shouldn't have to share their gift with the world.  That it would be better instead to keep their abilities secret and then one day supplant humans as the premiere race on the planet.  They dreamed of the Day of Silence, the day when a plague would wipe the weaker peoples out leaving only themselves._

_Now the focus of Manticore's finest minds was split between the selective genetic enhancement of their race, and creating a toxin which they would eventually use to wipe out the human race. They found their answer in the Naja haje, an Egyptian cobra with a neurotoxin so strong that it could kill immediately.  Now they had to find a way to disseminate the poison, and also to give their brothers and sisters immunity._

_My line is one of the oldest of the familiar lineages.  Four hundred years ago Thadeus Sandeman discovered the key to our survival in a small village outside of __Sicily__.  You see, in ancient times __Sicily__ was a part of the Egyptian empire and it was found that certain people had a natural immunity to the Naje haje's poison.  He also found that certain members of the Mediterranean race had a special protein complex in their skin which allowed for variable color mutations.  After an extensive search, he found a woman who possessed both of these traits.  Lucia was as beautiful as she was vicious.  When he finally tracked her down she was only days away from being hung for the brutal murder of her husband.  He saved her life, and to assure the position of our family line in the Day he bound her to himself through marriage._

_It took three hundred years to perfect the snake toxin, to mutate it into a waterbourne killer.  At the same time Lela's blood was dispersed among our people so that our tolerance to the poison built.  The recipe for the toxin were hidden in a safe place, protected until the Day came.  Lela's daughters were bred so that in the presence of certain enzymes, runes describing the ingredients of the poison would appear on their skin.  The men of my line traditionally carried the DNA which created the matching enzyme._

_I was born with the peace loving spirit of my very earliest ancestors.  That I would someday have an heir who would destroy humanity was more than I could bear.  At the age of forty two I ran away from the enclave of the familiars.  With my brilliance in science it was only a matter of time before the then strong American military recruited me for their intelligence division.  Hiding my true purposes and the existence of the familiars, I suggested to my superiors the possibilities of creating a race of super soldiers.  They were only too happy to supply the funding for project Manticore.  As cover, I created the perfect soldiers which they desired.  At the same time though, I carried on my own agenda._

_ I created each series of soldier with a purpose for the Day.  With my access to the records of the familiars, I knew exactly what I was going to be going up against.  Each Anomaly as you call them, even they have an ultimate purpose.  The x series were to be the soldiers, the invasion force.  Then into my perfected x-5s I placed the genetics which Lucia and Sandeman passed down, so that in them the formula for the cure which I had formulated would be hidden and protected._

_Originally, I had intended to put the protein and enzyme complexes into several x-5 soldiers.  Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me Manticore sent one of my earlier creations on a mission to assassinate a politician who also happened to be a familiar.  In short, my work was discovered and my whereabouts where traced before I could complete my work.  I had only had time to place the protein in one baby girl, and the enzyme in one baby boy.  _

_The head of the familiar order had me captured and I was brought before him in closed council.  He had discovered in the years since my disappearance that I had removed the gene for production of the rune enzyme from my young son, __Ames__.  To prevent panic, he didn't tell anyone about this disaster.  He was faced with a hard decision.  The other familiars were crying out for my death, but as he knew I was the only living source of the enzyme.  With my help he faked my own death and I went into seclusion on a tiny island off the coast of __Jamaica__._

_My imprisonment would have spelled death for the human race had not provenance placed young Jacob here in my path.  I went through a constant succession of young guards, most of them brainwashed with the fact of their own superiority.  Then I found a kindred spirit, a peace loving soul willing to put his life on the line for a greater cause.  Jacob became one of my guards six years ago when he was just a lad, and since then we have plotted my escape._

"Now I have found my way back to my children."

"I hate to say this, but we're missing the most important ingredient in your plan."

"Ah 494, you have my father's eyes you know?  Obviously you inherited them along with the DNA for the key enzyme.  I had already heard through my informants that my dear 452 was captured.  Now its time we went to retrieve her from Lela, isn't it?"


	11. Recriminations of a Soldiers Heart

My captor looked at her captor with eyes like black granite, her full crimson painted lips twisting into a dangerous sneer.  The solid looking blond woman appeared wholly unaffected by the dark woman's hatred of her.  After seeing what she had done to Alec I wouldn't have been so blasé.  At my best estimate I'd been unconscious for a little over an hour after my sister, the blond woman had called her Lela, knocked me out.  When I came to, I'd been lashed firmly with hemp ropes to a bench in the back of some kind of transport van, and my sister had been tied up next to me.  From the evil looks being exchanged, the blond woman and Lela didn't like each other very much.

"Charlotte, dear sister, are these ropes really necessary among family?"  Venom dripped from her words, and if she'd been smiling at me as she smiled at the blond woman I would have been cowering if fear under the nearest bulky object.

The blond returned an acidy smile of her own.  "It's for your own safety sister.  You are the key ingredient in our plan.  We wouldn't want you to be snatched up by some unscrupulous do-gooders would we?"  I found myself wondering if she used the word "we" in the sense that there were other people involved, or is she was so conceited that she was using the royal plural.  From her smug expression I rather thought that it was the latter choice.  "We're here now Lela, mind you don't make a fuss with the guards.  Sister or not I'm not averse to having you drugged unconscious for this whole procedure."

Snarling like a caged tiger, Lela held out her hands in mock submission.  However, I noticed that when the guards yanked us out of the van, she very pointedly did not put up a fight.  I saw only a single beam of sun before rough hands bound a piece of material around my eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat up morosely on the edge of one of Kate's hospital beds, while Kate herself finished the process of re-bandaging the deeper cuts along my chest and back.  Her hands were so deft that not a single patch of dried blood stuck to either surface, thereby causing me pain.  Somehow I wished for the hurt, it would have been easier to bear than the constant torture of my newly surfaced conscience.  By the time I was seven years old, Manticore had succeeded in burying most vestiges of my feeling for other people.  I'd only just started feeling again when I'd become involved with Rachel.  It had been Max who'd completed the process of making me feel and empathize again.

Guilt burned me now.  How could she have traded her life for mine?  It was as stupid as it was touching.  She was the Sandeman's cure, the one who would save humanity, and she'd tossed her life away for my worthless ass.  I didn't understand how Sandeman could take this so calmly.  Plans that he'd set in motion four decades ago were falling apart around his ears, and it didn't seem to trouble him any more than a burnt out light bulb.  Speak of the devil.

"How are your wounds healing my boy?"  He put an avuncular hand on me knee and beamed at me with his humor filled smile.  "I'm sorry about them taking her Alec, but I can assure you that we'll do everything in our power to bring her back."  I smile crookedly back at him.

"It was my fault you know."  His face turns stern.

"Now I won't have you carrying that load of malarkey around.  Doubt and self-recriminations can get a soldier killed, and you most certainly aren't going to save Max by sacrificing yourself, not this time anyway."  The smile comes back into evidence.  "I'm most proud of all of you, you know.  I had expected that by mixing animal DNA with human, I would be creating something closer akin to an animal.  At the very least I had expected a bunch of staid, emotionless soldiers who only took orders from Manticore.  Instead I got you kids, with all of your marvelous abilities, but still tempered by the ability to love and hate.  The only thing that didn't shock me, is that you and 452 fell in love.  To sound perfectly conceited, I am quite good at what I do, and I did after all create you for one another.  I shouldn't wonder at her willingness to give her life for yours, and you to give for hers"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the cloth was finally yanked from my eyes, I found myself locked in a small and very dark room with Lela.  The whooshing sound of a torch being lit from behind me cause me to lurch to my feet.  A tiny, aged woman stood holding the light in her bent old arms, and surrounding her were volumes of test tubes and boilers.

Laying in the exact center of the room, coils glistening in the firelight, rested a fifteen foot long cobra


	12. Seeing a Man About a Girl

They spread out before us, the hundreds of our army.  The familiars would complete the ceremony on an island in the middle of the Caribbean.  According to the books of prophecy, Max and the dark woman would have been brought there last night.  Tonight the dark woman's runes would be translated.  Over the full measure of the three days following, the ingredients would be steeped together.  On the fifth day the participants would spend the morning and afternoon hours cleansing themselves and purifying their sins.  At the setting of the sun on the fifth day the ritual would begin, ending at midnight with the spread of the contagion.  

Now at the moment of truth we all felt an overwhelming sense of peace.  It was the same feeling I had when I was pulling off a first rate heist or a daring rescue mission, only the sense was magnified a hundred times.  We'd been made to be soldiers, but more specifically we had been made by Sandeman to fight on this day.  The anomalies finally had the comfort of knowing that they had been created with a specific purpose in mind, and were not just a laboratory mistake.  

The ten anomalies with gills would swim under the security net and disable the system so that the rest of us could sneak in.  Sandeman, Jacob, Biggs, CeCe, Joshua, and I would go in tonight.  With Sandeman's assurance that he knew every inch of the island and compound, we were going to hide out in a series of hidden passages.  The other troops would invade on the fifth day, lead by Mole and Kate.  In the meantime the six of us would find Max, catalyze her runes, make the antidote just in case, and then prevent the familiars from spreading the contagion.  Of course we had to do all of this while still preferably keeping ourselves alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My enhanced transgenic vision picked up the distant flashing of a mirror in the fading sunlight.  The anomalies had gotten across to the island in less than an hour.  Two more flashed blinked out in rapid succession, indicating that the security systems around the perimeter of the island had been circumvented.

Now came my least favorite part of the journey.  My cat DNA bitterly contemplated submersion in the icy cold water before me.  I had to do this for Max.  Keeping that bracing thought in my head I filled my lungs deeply with oxygen and plunged into the clear blue waves.  An hour and a half later I pulled myself gasping onto the sandy shore.  Before us stood an imposingly craggy cliff face, which Sandeman swore held a subterranean entrance to the compound.

To my surprise, the entrance led to a very prosaic, tiled corridor.  The fluorescent lights above us buzzed loudly, fraying on my nerves.  I'd had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach since we'd reached the shore.  I just wanted to find Max, have her in my arms again.  Sandeman, ahead of us motioned me forward and pointed to a recessed vent panel.

"This is your stop son.  I know that I don't have to ask whether you remember the way or not.  You remember what you have to do?"  My throat constricts nervously and I simply nod my head in reply.  "When the runes have appeared fully you must bring her to us safely while her captors sleep, then we will return her once we have the scripts written.  When the two become one, they shall bless the people of the world with life."

My hand clenches unconsciously around the wrapped dart lying on my palm.  I have my orders, so like a good soldier I pull the grating off of the vent and swing myself effortlessly into the cramped passage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Welcome my children."  The old woman greets us solemnly, though her strange silver eyes never leave the form of the snake lying on the floor.  "The copies of your runes have been given to me and I am quite proud of you my dear, you have carried out your part in our great day magnificently.  You children may sleep now and early we will begin assembling the contagion."

Lela smiles on the old woman with the first expression of benevolence I've ever seen her show.  It makes her looks younger, and for the first time I see that she is no more than a few years older than me.  Motioning to me roughly, my sister points out a row of narrow beds bolted to the edges of the walls.  With a last fond glance at the elderly woman she climbs onto one of them and motions for me to do the same.

An hour later the old crone's snores and Lela's lighter respirations meld with the light hissing of the snake in the center of the room.  This was it, my death would come in the morning.  My only consolation was that the rest of the world wouldn't live long after I was gone.  The people I cared about would join me in death, Cindy, Joshua, and him.  Was there an afterlife?  If there was I hoped that he would find me there.  Some earthly force seemed to keep us apart every time we got close to each other, maybe it wouldn't be so in the beyond.

After three hours my breath had slowed and despite my predicament, sleep started to lull me towards dreaming.  A small clattering sound across the room brought me to my feet.  He crouched in the shadows like an insubstantial ghost and I did not know whether he was a living thing or the spirit of my beloved come to haunt me.  His hazel eyes locked on mine all emotions held in them at once, and I knew that he was real.  Circling the snake cautiously, my feet carried me to his side.  Walking on cat's feet he leans before the old woman and then Lela, marking each of them with the tip of the dart in his hands.  Understanding filled me as I walked by his side.  Without a word he gathered me into his arms and slid through a recessed entrance behind us.


	13. Death in Your Eyes, Life in Your Arms

_We were beyond needing words now.  Maybe it was telepathy or empathy or the surly bonds of love.  Whatever it was, it connected us deeper than the sounds of our own voices and tighter than a bond of blood.  All I could think at this moment, was that he was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen.  Not just physically perfect though.  He had suffered so much, much more than even I had and it had left him without a mark of drowning on his face.  A damaged soul in a faultless body; the image in the mirror was flawless because the shattered glass was hidden on the inside.  I could sympathize, and because of it I could make him whole again._

_He carried me through a short passage and down a flight of stone stairs.  We ended up in a tiny, barren bed chamber in a closed off wing of the compound.  Carrying me over the threshold he set me gently on my feet.  I ran my hands over his chest and tsked as I saw the blood on my fingers.  "You've reopened your cuts showing off silly."  Laughing softly he pulled me into his arms._

_We were so close that we bled inside each others wounds.  His breath ruffled my hair, his presence made my skin tingle.  "Look."  He nods his head towards my tiny hands, looking like a little girl's held in his larger ones, the delicate scroll work of runes spread out across their surface.  A small smile touches his lips and he tilts my chin back, brushing small kisses along the edges of my lips._

_"All of the runes have to be visible for the cure to work.  I think we need to be closer."  I slide my hands up the bottom of his shirt to explore the taut surface of his abdomen.  Leaning into him I press kisses against neck and arms.  Standing on tiptoe I finally reach his lips.  He is being beyond gentle with me, as though I were the most delicate glass that he feared to shatter.  It's driving me insane.  Every fluttering touch sent shivers of fire through my veins, killing me a thousand times and breathing new life into my blood so that I lived again.  But the animal needed its share.  My tongue tentatively brushed the sculpted surface of his lips, which parted in response.  I needed no other invitation, before plunging my tongue hungrily towards his._

_He devoured me with his kisses, our tongues wrestling with mindless need.  To break contact would be the death of me, so I ripped his shirt from his body rather than pulling it over his head.  My own shirt followed in a matching maneuver, it had been a bad color on me anyway._

_Shudders of fever racked my body only to shoot with electricity through him.  Growing bolder, my hands roam free over his body claiming it as my territory.  Now that I had him I knew that I would never want another in his place, he was meant to be my mate and match.  _

_With growing need I tug him backward towards the bed.  Laughing huskily he gathers me in his arms, hands cupping my thighs and carries me towards my destination.  Smiling wickedly I suddenly apply a sharp pressure to the back of his knees and send us both tumbling onto the small institutional bed._

_Our bodies, now completely naked, twine together in all their perfection on the coarse woolen sheets.  He covers me with his body, surrounding me, protecting me.  My fingers stroke slow circles against the barcode hidden on the back of his neck and his hands come to stroke mine in turn.  Now that we lie together so very close the fever pitch slows becoming less frenzied and more sensual.  We have so little time together, and yet the night could last forever.  If tomorrow brought my death then I would at least have the comfort of dying with him first on this night. _

_Every image would imprint itself indelibly in my mind.   His eyes lock on mine, hazel to dark brown as his hands stroke the length of my body.  They hold so much wonder as he watches me and I am reminded at just how new this world must be to someone who has spent their lives as a caged animal. _

_The palms of his hands are warm and unexpectedly calloused adding a sense of texture to his wandering touch.  "Closer."  My whisper ruffles his dark blond hair with like a light breeze.  I close my eyes as we move together in one rhythm older than time.  I've never drowned in anyone before, the experience is heady and new.  We scream each others names in climax as the shuddering reaches its peak. I think if it lasts another moment I might shake apart, and that it would be okay if I did  crack, because he would know instinctually how to put me together again. That if we did put each other back together again the pieces of us might be mixed together inextricably, and that that would be okay too.  _

_ I'd never been with one of my own kind before, but I think that even another x-5 could not have fit me so well.  Sandeman's perfect creations made for each other in every way._

_As I lay gasping in the circle of his arms, the sweat evaporated from my skin.  As if it were magic ink it lifted to reveal a perfect set of runes.  _

_When the two become one, they shall bless the people of the world with life._


	14. In a Little Swell of Blood

Okay, I was very disappointed in the lack of feedback for my first big romance scene.  Should I be racier?  I can always change things back to R, and heat things up a bit.  Of course at this point theres going to be grand battles and angst before our heroes get any action of the nice kind.  Also, the Latin is as close to being right as I can its going to get, being a few years out of high school.  It means basically "Queen of the devil, ruler of hell, bring darkness to the earth.  Woman of darkness, shed your blood, by your hands cover the earth in blood."  Ishy I know.  Anyhow, ahem.  Peace- silverrain

_I'd done what I had to, I'd brought her to Sandeman to be photographed and prodded.  Gently I'd brushed her dark skin with the Sandeman's new solution, watching as the runes were once more hidden in the fine fabric of body.  Then I'd just returned her to her prison before her jailors woke from their drugged sleep, no qualms and no question, just kissed her fiercely one last time and trusted fate to bring us together again.  _

_Perhaps I'd been a whole person in her arms last night, but today I was just a soldier again.  A good soldier followed orders and left their lovers in the hands of murdering bitches.  If anything happens to her in the next four days I don't know how I'll carry on, except that the soldier will have to because it's what we were trained to do.  I tell myself that fate will be kind, that nothing will happen to her, we'll be allowed more than one night together.  A thousand nights wouldn't be enough, but I'd take one more if it were all that was offered.  That's how love affects us I guess.  It doesn't matter how long you have each other, so long as it's this moment and the next_._  But I can't help but think that there could be so much more between us if we just had the time._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Time is running out Otto, where is that little whore?"  My irritation wells up like a tangible flow of fire, and I curb the urge to reach out and strangle the insignificant little peon standing before me.

"My humblest apologies Lady Charlotte, the Crone simply doesn't understand how the three of them overslept she said it was surely a mystical influence.  Perhaps it was some force of the prophecy my lady, ensuring that things are carried out in their proper times and orders."  I may be a faithful sister of the order, but I've always believed more in cold hard science than these damn prophetic bits of mumbo jumbo.  On the other hand, as I was about to ascend to the position of queen it would hardly do to say so.  Instead I satisfy myself by toying with little Otto.

"Are you implying Brother Otto, that MY time and order are not the proper ones?  Perhaps you think someone else would be better suited in leading our people on this great day?  Or may I assume that I am safe in my role as divine sister at this moment.  As my future husband you have the right to question my authority in these matters.  Speak up you blubbering idiot, if you have a useful opinion."  It is absolutely delightful watching Otto's lower lip quiver in fear as he faces me.  He looks precisely like the cowardly little puppy he is.  No, this little thing won't be any trouble at all as a husband, I was safe in assuming where the power would lie.  "And what in dear god happened to your face you imbecile?  Were you playing kick the can with a rotweiller?"  If anything Otto's face becomes impossibly redder.

"I, I fell on the gravel…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"…on the gravel, during a bar fight I mean."  Think quick idiot, she's never going to believe that I got in a bar fight.  "I mean I was walking outside this bar and this man came flying out of a window and knocked me to the ground.  I mean that's how I got hurt, yeah huh."  I drop my eyes as I stutter, let her think me more of a weak coward.  The more she underestimates me the better the chances are of her dropping her guard.

"God Otto you're such a little idiot, how did Ames White put up with such a sniveling, pathetic thing as you.  If I were him I'd have died of laughter at the sight of your cowering."  Bitter laughter bubbles up and I quickly bite down on my lips to prevent its escape.  Oh yes, killing dear Charlotte would be almost as therapeutic to my down trodden soul as doing away with White had been.  No, all I needed was one tiny opportunity and good sister Charlotte would be replaced by my dark queen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Regina de diaboli, in Hades dominii, terram infuscate."  Her withered hands shook handfuls of herbs over our bound bodies.  I lay next to my sister on a dais of stone in the center of the cell.  Ropes bound our wrists and ankles to hidden steel supports, we had been positioned in a perfect yin yang, my head picking up at the base of Max's feet.

My sister shook in fear or suppressed anger, it was difficult to judge which given our current positions and my inability to see her face.  My own features remained stoically calm.  The Crone had raised me after my own mother's death, and while I most certainly didn't trust her, her presence comforted me.  Besides, this was only the ritual purification, nothing much to worry about here.  I couldn't wait to see my sister's reaction to the blood letting.

"Pulla Domina, minuete.  A mane tu, terram cruentet."

She advances purposefully on us with her blade held high, my breath grew raspy in my own ears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_He was holding my hand, stroking his fingers across the flesh of my palms.  He was covering my body with his protecting it, he would keep me safe.  ##The blade sliced into the flesh at the crook of my elbow, bringing forth a swell of thick red blood, my blood.##  It wasn't happening, no he was there his body twined with mine, moving with me, speaking to me.  It wasn't happening, his fingers were stroking through my hair, gently teasing the barcode at the nape of my neck, brushing forward over my cheeks and lips so that he could memorize my features in case we weren't ever together again.  In case, we weren't.  It wasn't happening, it wasn't happening, it wasn't happening, his face was fading, it wasn't happening._


	15. The Beginning of the End

"I need to go to her."

"No, I'm sorry 494, but you need to follow the plan.  This is more important than even the love of two people and you know it."  His hands are warm and suitably avuncular on my shoulders but it doesn't help.

"Please, you have to at least tell me what they're doing to her.  Tell me what I returned her to.  They can't kill her until tomorrow right?  She has to be alive for the final ceremony and they can't finish her tonight."  His face flushes suspiciously and I can tell that I've finally struck a nerve.

"Look 494, Alec, she'll live because I've made both of you strong and that will simply have to be enough for the both of you.  Now I need you to focus."  We've been having this argument for the past half an hour and I sense that it's useless to keep arguing with him.  If she dies I suppose that I can always fling myself on her funeral pyre.  "The secondary troops should be arriving in the next three hours.  Kate will signal when they arrive, and they'll camp out on the outer shores overnight before sneaking into the compound in small groups beginning tomorrow morning."

I nod my head mechanically at him, and Sandeman shakes his head at me before continuing on with the plan.  "The first detachment will take up position in the underground tunnels and provide cover for deployment and removal.  The second group will station themselves around the perimeter of the ritual chambers, and the third group will join us here.  Now you're clear on what you have to do tomorrow?"

"I have to wait until the high council members are in trance state before attacking and rescuing Max."

"And why is that?"

"They're the most powerful of the familiars, and they'll be incapacitated after their ingestion of the ritual trance drugs."

"And then?"

"Biggs and CeCe will contain the snake toxin which will be located in the center of the room while most of the remaining forces provide cover.  I'll free Max and bring her to safety in case we need her blood as a source for more antibodies, and then we will all commence in kicking some serious familiar ass."

"Well put young man, just remember that some of us, such as myself and Jacob are your allies.  Also, you must watch out for any higher member of the cult who are not taking part in the inner circle.  My most powerful son may be dead, but the one who still lives can be quite poisonous.  I know he seems nervous and gutless, but when he strikes he can be surprisingly devious."

"I though CJ was on our side?"

"Oh no dear boy, I wasn't talking about CJ."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So the old man had returned.  Not only that but he had stuck to that antiquated plan which he'd been working on since before I was born.  Well bad for him, but quite good for me.  Just a very little bit of listening in and I had they're troop movements and a detailed account of when they would strike.  Yes she'd be very pleased with me this time, for once I hadn't screwed it up.

Walking as silently as my advanced genetics would allow, I crept around the circular backstairs and slid through the door into the room adjacent to the one in which she was being held.  Pressing my ear to the door I listened as the old woman chanted out the final litany to the gods of hell in her raspy Latin.  Just the grate of her voice was enough to give a grown man heebie jeebies.  Add to that the fact that the old hag was going on about blood letting, and I wanted to run as far away as my legs would carry me.  First I had to deliver my message.  Holding my breath I leaned as close to the wall as I could get.

"Look at you deary, all that blood for shame.  We'd just better get you cleaned up, can't have you dying before the ceremony ends."  One of the women within moaned low in her throat, and I heard the thudding sounds of limbs being shifted and scraped across the floor.  A pair of footsteps echoed out into the corridor and I took the opportunity to slip through the door into the next room.

I sighed with relief as I scanned the room and saw that the crone was indeed gone.  Only one of the three women remained in the dank room.  A body, still and unmoving as death lay on the stone dais in the center of the room.  Blood trickled slowly from the intricately carved sigils across the woman's olive skinned arms.  Long, dark brown hair clung to her sinuous curves.  Ironically, it was nearly impossible to tell whether this was my beloved Lela, or her sister.  It wouldn't be a wise plan to get to near to her.  If it was Max she might just find the energy to strangle me, and if it was Lela, well she was equally capable of doing the same.  My shoulders twitched as the woman moaned and shifted.  There, thank goodness, as she shifted I saw the distinctive markings of one of the ancient runes on her back just above her left hip.  This then was my queen.

"Lela."  She grunted angrily.  "Lela my love you don't know how worried I was.  Are you hurt very badly?"  Still she didn't reply.  "Lela I have wonderful news for you.  I know you prefer me not to do things, before you've approved them that is, but I remembered something from when I was a little boy.  From back before my father left.  See he was always making this grand plan, bastard thought he was some kind of superhero.  Had it all worked out, how he'd just create this race of soldiers and use them to storm the castle.  Don't you see Lela, he's here right now with all of those damned transgenics, and best yet he's kept the same old plan.  I know it all now, when he's attacking, how many people he's got with him."  Lela's breath caught in her throat and I knew that I'd done it.  She would be so filled with admiration now.  Any second now she'd roll over and smile up at her with an expression of womanly adoration.

Slowly she turned and blinked up at me with large dark eyes.

Once.

Twice.

But the eyes that stared back at me, though exactly the right colour, were filled not with fawning admiration or even their usual expression of rancor.

Horrified tears filled them like tiny sparkling diamonds.

Shoes slipping in the blood I backed towards the door.


	16. The Inevitability of Betrayal

"Otto, what is it that a humble old woman may do for her king?"  The crone's words mock me, she clicks her fingers together so that her long nails make sharp snicking noises, like little beetles dismissing my presence.  I'd have my revenge on her tomorrow, I'd have my revenge on all of them soon.  Teach them not to slight me.  I try to draw Lela's attention by jerking my head rapidly to the side.

"Obviously Otto is trying to say that our presences will be expected in the ritual chambers very soon.  Perhaps you had best take my sister to the bath and clean her up a bit.  We want her to look nice and fresh for her death after all."  Silently, I praise Lela's quick woman's intuition.  For this reason she is a leader and I her humble follower.  She will make a glorious queen for me.  It didn't seem to be enough though, because the old hag certainly wasn't fooled.

"Oh go ahead with your little plans then, it's not as if an old woman can prevent you.  I have seen the future anyhow and there is little to be done to halt this ceremony once certain events are set into motion."  With that dire predilection she hoists the transgenic woman up beneath the armpits and hauls her away like a half drowned kitten.

In great strides I cross the room to my lover's side, ignoring for once the pressing need to keep a safe distance from her fists and blood red nails.  "We're in big trouble Lela."  Best to start off with the bad news, she won't appreciate my dawdling.  God I don't look forward to the tirade she's about to give though.

"We or you Otto?  Because I'm pretty sure that you're old enough to get out of any scrapes you've gotten yourself into.  Now what is it that you've done now?"

"Well I found something out about the transgenics plans."  Her eyebrows come together skeptically.  "But then of course I rushed to tell you all about it and ask your advice."  Now her dark eyes are blazing, she can sense that the story is taking an unpleasant turn.  "I thought I heard the crone taking Max out to clean her up so I took my opportunity.  I walked in to tell you, but from the back I couldn't see which one of you it was.  Well see, I was just about to turn you over and see which it was, when I happened to see one of the rune tattoos on the person's back.  I didn't think that she had any of the runes so I just automatically assumed that it was you."  She is practically spitting in anger now, and I'm thinking that this might not have been the best idea.

"She doesn't have any runes you idiot.  How could she huh?  She'd need to have touched that little beast of hers and that's obviously impossible.  Now what was it that you spilled out to her?"  I gulp down the bile rising in my throat, this is doable.  She's only human after all.

"Well I kind of told her that I'd found out about the rescue that Sandeman is mounting, and that I knew when her people were attacking and where."  Huh, when put in that way, it really did sound like I'd screwed up bad.  Lela's face had made an alarming transformation from beet red to granite.

"She knows that we know."  Her voice slowly hushes until the last word comes out a whisper.  "The moment she sees the rescue forces she'll alert them somehow, they're soldiers, she'll find a way.  I don't see how."  Words fail her for a moment.  "I don't see how you could possibly be so foolish as to not check which of us it was.  Do you realize the damage you've done?  Do you."  Ignoring the pain of her cuts she sits to face me, her nose a half inch from mine.  "You, you are done with this.  We are through, our association is ended.  Go now, you get out of my sight and pray that you never see me again."  Her words, sharp as blows, rock me back until I find myself half kneeling, half sitting on the floor.

"Lela, don't do this, it's still fixable.  Please Lela."  Her hand snaps out in a blur knocking me to the floor.  As I try to rise her foot catches the back of my head and spins my entire body.  "God Otto, you're such a clueless little shit.  Ames was right, what possible use could you be to anybody.  Look at you, you're pathetic.  Now get out before I decide to do the world a favor and remove you from it."

Bitch, god she was bitch.  If I couldn't have power with her, there were other ways.  There's always another way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I have something for you Charlotte.  Consider it my first husbandly gift."

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Twenty-three fifty hours, ten minutes until the day.  Sandeman has spent his entire life preparing for this day.  I have been bred in preparation for this day.  She and I were made for one another so that we might stop this day from going forward.  For one moment I wonder what will become of us on the day after tomorrow.  Will mankind find its destruction with our deaths?  If we save the world then what could possibly be left to us.


	17. The Day of Silence

_Twenty-three fifty hours, ten minutes until the day.  Sandeman has spent his entire life preparing for this day.  I have been bred in preparation for this day.  She and I were made for one another so that we might stop this day from going forward.  For one moment I wonder what will become of us on the day after tomorrow.  Will mankind find its destruction with our deaths?  If we save the world then what could possibly be left to us.  Could I possibly live without her, or she without me?  _

_In eight minutes we would run into some unknown situation.  We would have nothing but a decade's old plan to see us through.  Most of the people I'd ever cared for were here, Biggs and CeCe, Joshua and Mole and Dix, and her. Five minutes until it all goes down.   She still lived yet; if she passed I have to believe that I would know it.  I could feel her in me still, taste her, touch her, hear her voice, sense her perfume which was an odd combination of roses and leather and her own scent, only the vision of her dimmed with absence.  _

_It doesn't matter, in two minutes I'll see her again.  She is my mission, my goal, the iron to my magnet, she draws me on to the end of this.  One more minute and then I'll know the truth.  Win and live, another destiny, one day more, or a hundred years.  My heartbeat beats the rhythm to which we'd been joined.  I can feel the blood in my veins, carrying life and that extra something that Sandeman's tampering had added.  Chanting echoed endlessly through the enclave, channeled by old stones which have heard it all before.  Eighteen seconds.   Wind whips my bare chest evaporating my sweat, I clutch the long handled dagger steadily in my hands.  Three, two, one.   No more chanting, or running footsteps, even the dull thudding of my heart is hushed.  _

_Everywhere silence._

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A tomblike stillness shrouds the room.  Regardless of the outcome of the day, many souls both transgenic and familiar will find their lasting rest here.  Twelve feet of blood red silk lay against the smooth curves of my body, scarcely disturbing the wounds which the old crone had just inflicted on me.  If I get out of this alive, I'm keeping the stuff and making a dress out of it.  Ten years of post-pulse living, running from Manticore hadn't ever afforded me many frills, and I've never been dressed with more luxury.  If I do die today, at least I'll look damn pretty when I go.  

Our carbon copy dresses bring out the strong resemblance between Lela and me.  Lela doesn't look happy, I'm sure that I don't look entirely pleased either.  We hadn't gone more than an hour between being bled, before we found ourselves being tied up again.  I'm beginning to think that these familiars have serious sado-masochistic issues.  The stone dais we're bound to now is wider and somehow colder than the first.  Of course the chamber's dimensions are appropriately grandiose, large enough to hold the three hundred or so familiars taking part in the ceremony.   So many people packed into the room and not a single one of them makes a sound.  

From the depths of the silence a gong reverberates through the space.  Three hundred shadowed faces turn towards the ornately carved entrance.  

She walks with the haughty grace of a royal.  Waist length blond hair splayed over the statuesque figure of a Valkyrie.  In contrast to our red wraps, her robe shimmers in shades of the purest white.  Snakes wrought from silver twine up the length of her arms.  She frightens me more than I can say.  A woman who emanates power in waves, and smiles with the coldest expression I've ever seen.  The kind of person who would crush six billion people under her heel and not blink once.

She raises her hands over her head and walks widdershins about the circle three times, drawing closer to the platform with each turn.  Stooping carefully she lifts the great cobra in her arms and twines it about her large form.  In a surprisingly swift and deft movement her hands fling outwards, each one cradling a wickedly curved blade.  Shit, not again, I've had about enough getting sliced up in the past week to last me a lifetime.  Fortunately, the movements are ceremonial and she barely nicks my forearm, before moving on to my sister, herself, and finally the snake.  I watch in morbid fascination as our bloods mingle in the recessed center of the dais.  The woman dips her finger into the mixture and draws the sinuous form of the snake on her forehead.  As she steps back, two women and two men step forward dropping to their knees before her.  Each of them proffers a chaste silver bowl of some viscous liquid.  She nods her head in approval and they offer the bowels to each of the innermost circle of familiars, who drink from them in turn.  Ish, I really hope that that isn't my blood in their.  Somehow I have the creepy feeling that it is though.

"From our blood, from our life, our sisters, our brothers, our mothers, our fathers.  From ancient ground breaks the waves of revolution, from the spirits of those before we find our strength.  From our blood, from our life, our sisters, our brothers, our mothers, our fathers.  From ancient ground…"  The circles of familiars pick up the chant in outward radiating waves.  

The unearthly clatter of metal on stone rings out of the dark as one of the silver bowls spins in flight across the chamber.

His presence tingles at the back of my neck, and for the first time today I dare to feel a sliver of hope.


	18. The Saviour and the Stone

She lies still as death on the dais.  Her skin, blanched to alabaster, a stunning contrast to the blood red of her dress, and the dark ebony of her hair.  Only the dark eyes, burning in the still pallor of her face, show signs of life.  They burn with incandescent fury.  The animal inside of her rages at inactivity, at imprisonment.  I could empathize, after a year in psy-ops the feelings of an animal in captivity were second skin to me.

Normally I love women in all of their forms, but the blond that steps out of the doorway across the room just frightens me.  Her brilliant blue eyes scream bitch, and she walks with her shoulders flung back at a perfect ninety degree angle to her body as if to say that she'd just as soon spit on you as look at you.  Every fiber of my being strains forward as she circles in like a vulture on my lover, but I hold the primal instinct in check.  As the woman slashes out at Max, my hands convulse with such strength that my nails rake bloody tracks across my palm.  A few more minutes and then I can fight back.

Four of the familiars step forward holding the ceremonial bowls and each of their brothers and sisters drink from them.  In two minutes the brew will take effect, putting the strongest of the familiars in a deep trance and incapacitating them.  The thought didn't trouble my conscience in the least.  If my short career as an assassin had taught me anything, it was that those who played fair never won.  Thirty seconds, I needed a good distraction.  Seeing as how you could probably hear a pin drop in this tomb it shouldn't be too hard.  Torchlight glinted temptingly off of a set of decorative of silver bowls ranged across the back wall behind me.  Quelling the urge to steal them and fence them for a few bucks, I placate myself with a spot of petty destruction.

I flashed back to a time five or so years ago, back at Manticore, back before the whole Berrisford incident.  Biggs and I had been on a mission in Texas, retrieving some sensitive computer files from a politician who'd developed a conscience.  One day we'd been out doing recon and we'd seen a dozen young boys out playing baseball in the late summer heat.  We'd looked like normal fourteen year old boys and the other guys had called us over to join them.  One of the boys had said that I ought to pitch for the Rangers.  Gripping the metal projectile now, I wondered how my pitching arm had faired over the years.

Instead of aiming for the fleshy head of one of the familiars I opted to go for maximum noise impact, and flung the bowl at one of the stone columns on the other side of the room.  It hits its target with a satisfying bang, and all eyes turn in my direction.  Get up and go time.

Giving free reign to the primal forces held so long in check I let out a gutted scream of rage and begin to blur.  My left hand snaps out in an uppercut catching the nearest familiar under the chain and breaking his neck with an echoing snap.  Using the force of the impact I swing my upper body to the floor, and rock back onto my hands leaving both of my feet free to kick the two men in front of me.  My left foot caught one in the nose, while my right smashed into the other man's sternum shattering it.  A woman off to my left side catches my right foot before I can right myself again.  Using the full force of my weight I jerk sharply backwards rolling off my hands and dropping completely to the floor, sending the sister flying over my head and crashing into a wall.

Taking this opportunity to scan the room I search out the form of my lover.  She still lays bound and unguarded on the stone platform in the center of the room.  Behind me somewhere Biggs, CeCe, Kate, and a dozen other x-5's held the familiar's forces at bay.  Another hundred assorted transgenics waited in the passages beyond the chamber to cut off escape and to reinforce us if our line fell.  I was free to focus on my mission.

Swinging to my feet I push two familiars out of the way, run halfway up the side of one of the pillars, and twisting in midair propel myself from its surface into the air.  Newton would have died for an opportunity to study our kind, when an object applies a force on a second object, the second object applies an opposite and equal force on the first.  Looking at it that way, the pillar sent me flying a good 6 meters through the air, landing me in a dog pile on top of another four black robed familiars.  1.4 meters to my object.  Using the momentum from my landing I spring into the air again and land squarely in the center of the stone circle, careful not to land on my lover of course.  Somehow Maxie didn't strike me as the type to treat a guy with kid gloves, even after sex.  

All of the upper ranking familiars, surrounding the alter had the glazed expression of someone stoned off their asses.  I reached over the other woman, the one who had tortured me before, and yanked one of the ceremonial daggers off the nearest brother.  Swinging it high over my head I bring it down hard on the chains binding my beloved to the dais.  Flinging the dagger into the chest of the man whom I'd taken it from, I drop to my knees and take her head in my hands.  During the fight her eyes had dropped shut, and now she lie with the absolute still of death.  A thin thready pulse fluttered beneath my finger tips, and the smooth skin of her face and neck felt feverishly warm in the circle of my hands.  She must have been exposed to the snake toxin somehow.

Oblivious to the war going on around me, I reach into my back pocket and pull out a syringe.  Yanking the cover off with my teeth, I mutter a silent apology and plunge the needle into the ashen skin of her forearm.  "Maxie?  Come on angel, I know you're in there somewhere.  There's a full scale battle going on here, and if you don't wake up soon there's an excellent chance that I'm going to screw things up as per my usual.  Maxie?  Please baby open your eyes up, glare at me, tell me to go to hell, tell me off for jabbing you with this needle, anything."

"That hurt like hell you bastard did you learn how to give injections in psy-ops?  You also smell like you haven't bathed in a week.  Now get me off of this god damned table, the stone hurts like hell on my bruises.  Oh and Alec?"  My heart hammers in my throat.

"Yeah Maxie?"

"Kiss me, right now, preferably long and hard."  My lips crush down on hers, her head still cradled between my hands.  My fingers slide back to twine themselves through her hair as our tongues wrestle together desperately.  Her skin burns like a mark of life against my skin, branding her scent and touch into my skinf.  In this life, we have no certainties but pain and running, and watching the road at our shoulders.

"I have to get you out of here Maxie."  She nibbles lightly on the corners of my lips.

"We're staying to help fight."  Her voice is hard and determined.  Running my hands the length of her silk clad body, I grab her hips and hoist her up in my arms raising us both to our feet in one smooth movement.

"Look Max, if we fail, and the familiars succeed, both of us need to be alive.  As long as we're alive then more of the cure can always be made."  Her lips compress so tightly that a small swell of blood trickles down her chin.  Staring hard at the floor she slowly nods her head in permission, and I jump off of the platform carrying us both back to the floor.

"Now brothers and sisters!"  The voice, deep and commanding, comes from directly behind us, as does the ugly snicking of a pistol's hammer being cocked back.


	19. Goodnight Lover

_Many millions of years ago, back when the earth was young, the planet's atmosphere was hot and harsh and hostile.  Then one day during a raging thunderstorm, a flash of lightning struck lava rock.  Bam, a reaction is catalyzed between nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and the heat present in the atmosphere.  The combination of organic molecules creates a single celled life form. _

_ Evolution makes a shift from unicellular life, jump to multicellular life, jump to life above water, jump to reptiles then eventually mammals.  This is the natural scale of evolution.  Around the year one thousand BCE, a group of Phoenician scholars inalterably changed Mother Nature's plan for progress.  They began a secret society to promote the advancement of a race of superior humans.  _

_Thus the familiars were created.  While the selective breeding began as a peaceful endeavor the plans of the familiars changed, and shifted, became darker in purpose.  Then on the cold crisp dawning of __December 21st, 1959__ a boy child was born of familiar parents, a child who would once again irrevocably change the course of human events.  Were men meant to play with such raw forces?  I was that boy once, the one who stuck my finger in the dam and plugged the natural flow of the tides.  Now as I watch all of my careful plans crumble before my eyes I wonder if this is nature's way of setting things right again._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My lover maneuvers me slowly too my feet, and moves his body instinctually to shield mine.  All around us familiars begin to stand, coming out of the trances that they'd been faking.  Sig Sauer 45, my brain classified the weapon automatically and the gun struck me as oddly anachronistic surrounded by daggers and ceremonial robes.  "Move your feet, both of you, we're going for a little walk."  She motions us towards the doorway with the gun.  "Uh, uh, don't get too close now, you animals move too fast for my tastes."

His arms are strong and substantial as he guides me down the stone steps, supporting me.  Pounding hard and fast, the frantic beating of my own heart almost overwhelms my transgenic hearing.  Three steps down, forty-four paces down the hall, a cramp shoots down my left leg, from blood loss or maybe the weak beginnings of a seizure, it causes my foot to snag in a crevice in the floor.  Without stopping he lifts me into his arms and carries me the other sixty-seven paces to a little alcove off the main chamber.

"Over there, on the bed, set her down.  Now stand up and turn around, slowly.  Hands above your head, fingers locked behind your neck.  Good.  Now I hate to do this.  Not because you filth don't deserve to die, no I have no such illusions.  But because I believe in always making it a fair fight, even if it is an animal that I'm killing.  Unfortunately neither of us has that luxury tonight.  You see, while the council was willing to go along with my little scheme in postponing the ritual.  Let me pass around bowls of wine instead of the hallucinogen, even at the cost of the three brothers whom you killed while they sat back and did nothing.  Their patience has a limit.  By our laws the ritual must be completed before the dawn of tomorrow."

"What does that have to do with the two of us?  Shouldn't you be out there wreaking murder and mayhem with the rest of your brothers and sisters?"  Loathing fills me for what I am doing, trying to save my own skin.  Honor and instinct demand that I be out there fighting and dying beside my people.

"You are the chosen ones.  As long as the two of you live, so does the cure.  I'm afraid I have no options in your death.  I know my own skills, but even I would not chance the ascension of my people on my ability to kill the two of you in proper combat.  Now please don't waste my time by trying to tell me I have the wrong transgenics.  Her arms are covered in the runes where you held her earlier.  You have my apologies, this is not a warrior's death."

Alec stands steadfastly before me, shielding me.  We both know that it's a useless gesture.  She has wisely chosen to stand a good distance away from us.  At that range there's a good chance that the bullet will go through both of us, and even if it doesn't my energies are too depleted to even consider engaging her in combat.

One click to adjust the clip, a second to lock the hammer.  Her left hand steadies the gun's base as her right index finger tightens on the trigger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She lies as still as death on the dais, her dark hair and blood red dress stand out like a bruise on her blanched skin.  Only she could lie undisturbed while a battle for possession of the earth rages on around her.  Once we'd been lovers, and she'd given me the most powerful gift of my life.  Detachment, not to care when I aided in the murder of my mentor and friend, she had offered me power for a price.  If you have to ask the price you don't want to know.  Even bloodied and bruised she retains a spectacular raven beauty.  Slipping unheeded across the chamber, my body is drawn magnetically towards her.  At any moment the fall of dagger or misfired bullet could end me, but I make it to her side without a mark.

Sliding my body up the surface of stone I come to rest where her sister had lain only minutes ago.  I'd betrayed her sister, given her and her lover to Charlotte.  But she was mine now.  My fingers brushed across my own cheek to touch the still healing tracks which her nails had laid on my skin.  "I'm sorry Lela, you've given me all that you promised and more.  I know you saw things turning out differently for yourself, but if you refused to be my queen I had to find another.  You know with all your planning you never once thought this would happen.  Who's damn stupid now?  You should have guessed, you should have known, because you know what?  You made me you bitch."  The last part is whispered in her hair.  I feel a pang of regret that she probably didn't even hear me.  She shows as much life as a corpse lying there.  A small pang of regret fills me as I look at her stillness, but she'd taught me better than that.

Leaning over her body I pressed a last kiss to her cheek.  My fingers reaching out to caress her slender neck, one hand cupping her chin, the other bracing the back of her neck, one jerk and it would be over.  A small flutter of breath touched the back of my neck and ruffled my hair.  I had a momentary impression of the pressure of her arms wrapping around me, before a sharp shooting pain seared through my back and stomach.  She had a really lovely voice, husky and darkly sexy.  Now it rasped thinly at my ear.

"Remember lover, always draw blood."     


	20. The Unlikeliest Hero

Two shots ring out almost overlapping.  At the same moment I fling myself at Max.  Wrapping my arms around her we roll backwards off the bed.  One of the bullets slices downwards at a thirty degree angle to the floor.  It ricochets upwards off the stone tiling and makes a clean entry and exit through my left thigh.  Dropping Max, I raise myself to my right knee and peer over the edge of the bed.

I was a boy of seven when I saw my first dead body.  A behemoth of a man, twice my size, and hairy and unkempt.  He had been lying like a shot dog on the forest floor bleeding out his life.  With perfect distinction I remembered the gurgling of his breath, struggling to fill his blood filled lungs.  His pale eyes were opaque and unseeing, and the gaping hole in the center of his chest had taken over as the window to his soul.  I'd shot that man.  He'd been designated as the enemy and I'd killed him just like I'd been told.  I saw my first dead man when I was nothing but a little boy, and I'd felt nothing because they'd taught me too well.  All I had seen was a completed mission, no pity, no regret.

Looking down at the shell of the woman that lay bleeding on the floor I feel immeasurable pity.  She'd been the big enemy.  Five more seconds and she would have killed me and the woman I love more than life itself, and I felt bad watching her bleed to death.  I guess once you get a conscience it just doesn't go away.

Sandeman's boy Jacob stands in the doorway, his skinny arms cradling a bedraggled bundle of long raven tresses and red silk.  Lela leans on the slim boy heavily, her body as bruised and bloodied as Max's.  Her lower lip trembles slightly and I can almost swear that a few solitary tears are trickling from her eyes.  However, the two hands which still hold the gun in front of her are rock steady, and the eyes which sight down its barrel hold all the furious calm of a goddess delivering divine judgment.  

The blond on the floor rasps out a gurgling breath, a bit of blood dribbling down her rounded chin.  Her dilated blue eyes roll around coming to rest spitefully on the woman who'd just shot her down.  "I want to know, how did you do it?"  Her breath heaves in and out, shakily flecking the white silk with more red droplets.  "You, you ain't nothing to any of us.  All your life, no one has ever paid you mind.  The only reason you weren't drowned at birth was because we needed you for today.  Well today is almost over you know, and then what.  What have you got left in this life?  Do you enjoy being the black sheep?  The one all of us spit on, because you aren't worth the dirt on our shoe…"  Lela squeezes the trigger one last time and puts a bullet right between her eyes.  The woman's blond hair falls over her forehead as she slumps over, covering the bullet hole so that she looks almost asleep.

"I was going to poison them all.  The High familiars that is, but Otto failed me.  I lost my temper with the dear boy and said a few harsh things.  Turns out that I trained little Otto better than I thought.  Instead of poisoning his kinfolk like we'd planned, he went behind my back and made a deal with that thing."  She tilts her chin toward the prone woman on the floor.  "Look, I've saved the both of you now.  You're honorable kids, and I know you won't stab me in the back.  So I say we call it even.  The two of you get out there and start saving your family and I just walk away."

My eyes catch Max's.  It's her decision to make, her sister, her people, and her battle.  She nods her head once in her sister's direction, and then holds her hands out to me.  In one smooth motion I hoist her too her feet.  I watch proudly as she stands without wavering.  She's one of our people, and I feel a moment of pride for what I am.  The totipotent stem cells in her blood have already begun doing their job and her muscles hold her straight without a spasm.  Built Manticore tough.  "Come on Alec, Jacob we've still got a fight to win out there.  Are you up for it?"  She limps slowly towards the door.  Jacob lowers Lela to the floor and the both of us turn to follow.  "Oh and Lela, if I ever see you at my back again, I won't hesitate to put you down permanently."

Their eyes meet, black on black and the dark woman smiles at the implied challenge.  "I'd expect no less from you sister."

_A renegade, a former assassin, and the chosen savior of the world square their shoulders and walk side by side to the battleground. _


	21. The Other Shoe Drops

Well this little sequel sure has gotten long.  Just remember the more you review the more inspired to write I'll be.  I might put in another two chapters on this story.  I plan on leaving it in a good place for my next little project which will be a semi-related series of action adventures involving Max and Alec's missions for Senator Burnhart.

This chapter and the next will be angst ridden.  What can I say I'm in the middle of studying for finals, organic chemistry and molecular cell processes have me in a down mood.  The ending will be written in my post finals week high.

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His dark blond hair hung boyishly over his brow, and I resist the urge to reach out and smooth it back.  I notice his left leg falter as he places his weight on it, and I silently curse my stupidity.  "God Alec, how's your leg." 

"Huh?"  My question shakes him straight out of his reverie and he nearly falls over his own to feet as said leg buckles underneath him.  The boy who'd walked in with Lela and I each manage to get a hand under his arms before he hits the floor.

"Looks like it went straight through the upper thigh.  Bullet didn't nick any arteries.  I guess with all the adrenaline surging his body was compensating for the injury."  I stare in surprise at the skinny boy.

"He came with Sandeman.  He's one of the good familiars."  I give the young man beside me another once over.  On second glance he's probably only a couple of years younger than me and Alec, and his slender build belittles the sinewy muscles of his forearms and legs.

"Can you help me carry him?"  I tilt my chin towards Alec.

"No Maxie."  Lowering him to a sitting position on the floor, I slide down to his side.

"Who's the leader here?"  It's a struggle to keep my tone light and teasing, my lungs are still recovering from my ordeal.

"I can fight."  His hands grip mine tightly.  "Please Maxie, these are my people too.  I've known a lot of them since I was a little boy, gone on missions with some of them.  We never called each other family, but some of those people are like my brothers and sisters.  You have to let me fight for them."  I'd almost forgotten how persuasive his little lost boy face was.

"Just promise me one thing.  Promise me not to get yourself dead."  The little boy face disappears, and a bit of the soldier takes over his dark hazel eyes as he nods his head.  His hands are like iron in mine as I help him to his feet.

"See already healing."  I try to keep the bitterness out of my smile.

"Let's party."

We take the entrance at a run, spreading out across the main chamber.  Using my rapidly returning strength I leap straight at one of the marble columns.  Fingers clinging to the grooves, I shinny up the side and kneel on the top.  There's Mole and Joshua on one side standing back to back, a long gash down Josh's arm bleeds freely but otherwise they both look unharmed.  Kate is crouched down on the other side of the room with four other x-series giving emergency first aid.  Our people must have done well while we were otherwise distracted.  Of the original three hundred familiars, there are perhaps around a hundred still standing.  About two hundred transgenics are still scattered around the room fighting, another sixty or so lie on the floor dead or incapacitated.

My breath catches in my throat as he draws my attention from across the room.  Ripping a pair of ceremonial daggers off the belt of one of the dead familiars, he dashed halfway up one wall before turning a tight midair somersault.  He landed behind a pair of high familiars in a catlike crouch, and plunged the daggers into their backs before they had a chance to react.  Cocky bastard is always showing off.

I allow my enhanced vision to kick in as I scan the room for signs of serious trouble.  Fighting off familiars is all good and well but the whole purpose of tonight's little venture is the snake toxin.  Something niggled at the back of my mind.  There'd been something odd about the stone slab that I'd been tied to earlier.  My eyes focus tighter on the platform.  That's it, there's something odd about its center.  While the majority of its surface is worn smooth stone, the middle portion is dotted with thin grooves.

Think damn it.  I'd been pretty out of it when I'd been kidnapped and dragged out here, but I knew for certain that the compound was situated on a small island out in the pacific.  Island, water, poison.  If the grooves in the dais extended all the way through to the bottom of the floor, there was a chance that the holes emptied out into the water intake below us.  My eyes flick upwards.  A hundred feet or so in the air, suspended from the ceiling, directly above the dais like an atom bomb is large silver basin.  I follow the suspension ropes downwards, four of them in all.  Two have already been cut and the ends of the ropes dangle uselessly, the other two are still intact.  The fate of the human race hung precariously from a pair of flimsy looking silk ropes.

"Alec!"  His head whirls around at my call.  I sign rapidly at him, my hands a blur of movement.  "Protect the ropes, make sure nobody cuts them."  His eyes follow where I point and after a moment an expression of horrified comprehension crosses his face.

A pair of the white robed high familiars makes a dash for the ropes, one moving right and the other going left.  Alec can stop one of them, I blur across the room towards the other.  My doubled fists clash down against the familiar's wrist as he makes a swipe at the rope.  He misses but doesn't drop the dagger.  Refocusing his attentions he slashes out at my stomach.  I drop to the floor kicking his feet out from under him in the same movement.

As he falls he makes a last lunge for the rope with the dagger.  The viciously curved tip snags the center of the rope ripping it twain.

Alec blurs across the room and leaps like a tiger onto the stone slab.  He catches the outer edges of the basin as it falls and for one breathtaking moment stands like a statue of atlas, balancing the bulky object over his head.

A familiar rushes him, dagger extended towards his exposed stomach.

I had to reach him but I would never make it in time.

From nowhere Biggs rushes to Alec's side, and the basin is supported between them.

With their combined strength they fling the poison far across their room.

An instant later the dagger pierces their flesh and both of them fall to the ground. 


	22. And the Bottom Drops Out

Okay people, this is the second to last chapter.  Consider this a reflection of me not knowing nearly enough about ion gated channels this morning on my final this morning.  The good news?  I only have three finals left and my mood is already taking a turn for the better.  There might be happy kissing and snuggles for ya in the next chapter.

To answer some questions.  The prequel to this story, Lost in the Grey, can be reached by clicking on my penname SilverRain.  MM, I'm really sorry about doing this, but it will be a plot point in the next sequel.

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People are running, I can feel them around me, off in the periphery.  Background details blurring like water on paint, totally unimportant, still hard to ignore, like snow on a blacked out tv screen.  Familiars retreating, now that the poison is spilt over, their cause is finished.

A pressure rests on my left side, the bulk of a body lying partially on top of mine.  It isn't a good thing, not her body lying on mine, too heavy, too hard.  Something warm and sticky oozes onto my stomach and left arm.  Pain lances out like little shards of glass from multiple points on my body.  One dull ache thuds from my thigh, hurts like a bitch, but its nothing compared to explosions coming from the left side of my abdomen.  The shooting pains radiate through my stomach, and end in a thick lump which lifts my back off the ground.  Sound filters through the haziness, people standing over me maybe, someone panicking.

"Please, please just get it out."

"No Max, don't touch him yet.  This is going to be tricky the hilt is lying beneath both of them."

"We can't just leave them like that!"

"First we need to see what kind of damage the knife did.  Here help me lift his shoulder, just a little."  Some of the pressure on my chest eases up.  "Okay we have to tilt them on their sides.  Take Alec's shoulder, I've got Biggs, we need to move them both at once so that the blade doesn't shift.  Ready?  One, two, three."

"Dgaaaahhhhh!"  Oh shit, oh shit that hurt.  An exceptionally unmanly screech burst from my mouth.  Her hands are touching me, smoothing over my face, and holding my shoulders still.

"Shit, I think we need to do this right away.  Joshua, take my place on this side and hold them as still as you can.  CeCe can you give me a hand pulling this out?"  CeCe's breath draws in rapidly and a small sob chokes out behind me."

"I don't think she can do it Kate.  Let Dix do it instead."

Dagger, in the back, I remembered it now.  Catching the poison, Biggs helping me save the day.  Lots of pain and then the ground crashing into my face.  Now they had to pull the knife out.  I get that sick feeling in my stomach, the one that precedes an incident of extreme and unavoidable pain.

"You have to try to relax Alec, if you clench your muscles when I pull the knife out it'll cause more tissue damage."

"Okay Dix…"  Numbness passes over me and the world tilts ninety degrees to the left.

_Floating, falling, smacking into the ground softly and bouncing back a bit as though I've hit something soft like a mattress.  Reaching out my hands to either side and feeling my surroundings before I open my eyes, just like they'd taught me.  Something damp under me, grass I think because I can faintly smell chlorophyll and wildflowers on the wind.  Slowly pop my eyes open, sunlight glares in them blinding me for a moment._

_He's standing over me with a smirk on his lips, holding out his hand as though to haul me off the ground.  I reach out my hand and let my buddy yank me to my feet.  My eyebrows crease in confusion as I take in the scene around me._

_We're standing in the middle of Manticore's training green.  But it looks as I remembered it from the distant years ago, before they'd put a firing range in the north corner, or the new x-7 barracks, and long before Maxie had blown the whole thing to kingdom come.  Soldiers surround us on all sides, split off in pairs sparring, and not a single one has turned to acknowledge our sudden appearance._

_"If it's all the same to you Biggs I haven't got a lot of fond memories of this place.  I'm sure we could find a nicer place for a hallucination."_

_"We aren't hallucinating my friend."_

_"Then what the hell are we doing back in hell?"_

_"No Alec, you aren't looking hard enough."  Damn it, since when is Biggs so cryptic, he's starting to sound like Sandeman.  Okay, so here's me looking closer.  Transgenics sparring, mostly x-6's judging by their ages.  A few sergeants and human guards scattered around keeping an eye on them.  I creep up to the nearest pair of girls and inspect them more closely as they continue to fight on oblivious to my presence._

_A shock of recognition passes through me as I peer at them.  The rail thin blond on the left had been a squad mate of mine for a few years back around 2012, her designation was 476 I think, and I'd swear that I'd seen her take a bullet to the stomach a half dozen years ago in Tehran.  Her sparring mate looked familiar to, but I couldn't place her._

_A sudden commotion across the green drew my attention.  Pushing unheeded through the throngs of other soldiers, I made my way over to a small group of x-5s staring clustered in a circle and staring concentratedly at the ground.  _

_In the center of the mob lay a very young version of the man that now stood at my side.  Biggs rested on the ground in front of me, his body curled up in pain, small involuntary tears and shudders passing over his face._

_I remember this moment.  It had been a crisp, clear October morning, the first one that I had seen since being locked in psy-ops for six months.  The air had never felt fresher on my face, it had obliterated even my childish worries that my fellow soldiers would no longer trust me.  My fear that they would hate me because I wore the face of one of the traitors, that they would mistrust me because Manticore feared that I carried some genetic predisposition towards abandoning my duty and fleeing into the outside world._

_I'd walked outside into the damp and chilly air, and breathed a deep fill of it.  Then the air had been suddenly rent by a sharp shriek of pain.  All of the _

_x-5's had been out in the field running through training exercises.  A young Biggs had slipped in the grass during a simple maneuver and his body had twisted directly into the path of his partner's oncoming fist.  He'd taken the full force of the punch between his fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae and through the wonders of transgenic strength the backbone was dislocated but the nerve cord was not severed._

_All of them had just stood there in a circle staring at the boy writhing on the ground in pain, wondering if they should help him, wondering if they'd be punished for it, thinking that the boy would probably be taken away by the guards and like so many of their family, he would simply disappear.  I'd pushed through the crowd, and knelt by his side.  I'd been my unit's medic back before the escape, and my psychological programming, and the skills had stayed with me._

_The x-5's had looked on uncertainly, and even the guards had stopped their advance and simply watched, as I reached down and took his shoulders and hips in my hands.  In one sickening crack I'd reset his spine.  We'd overheard a doctor saying afterwards that if I hadn't acted so quickly he might have been permanently damaged.  Manticore didn't deal in damaged goods and we both knew only my rapid actions had saved him from termination._

_I hadn't been reprimanded for my actions, though of course Manticore never thanked me.  What I didn't count on was the gratitude of my new friend.  With Biggs's help I had slowly won back the trust of my fellow soldiers.  I can't even begin to think what might have happened had I not saved Biggs on that day.  Trying to make it through Manticore without someone watching my back.  All those times that I'd saved his ass, and the many other situations on which he'd saved mine._

_I knew why he's showing it to me now_

_Life isn't fair.  When you don't ever have the chance of a childhood, when you kill your first man at the age of seven, when your first love dies in your arms, you know this for a fact._

_Still there's always an odd kind of symmetry to inner workings of the world._

_My life had started again on that day when we first met._

_On that day I'd saved his life._

_Now things had come full circle for us._

_There isn't any need for words now, just one long look at each other in acknowledgement of the years and the memories._

_"Tell her that I loved her."  I smile at him and squeeze his shoulder._

_The sun glows brighter until it gently brushes away the brilliant blue of the sky._

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Sobs rent the indelible quiet of the chamber.

"I've lost his pulse.  I'm sorry."


	23. Raison d'Etre

Wahoooo!   Got an A in physics, and made the Dean's list so I'm doing the happy dance.  Consider this a reflection of me basking in  parental and personal pride.  This will be the last chapter of the story although another series should be following shortly.  Many thanks to everyone for commiserating on my school work, and of course for reading and reviewing this story.  Enjoy.

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Sunlight pours over my face and arms, bringing with it warmth and light.  It doesn't seem right that the sun is shines, it feels as though the world should cease to move now, that life should stop.  The sounds of activity outside are wrong, blasphemous, because this great tragedy has occurred and the universe hasn't stilled in mourning.  That's the way the world works though, it still spins on its axis even when a life has been snuffed.  I roll over carefully onto my right side, draping my left arm over the waist of the woman beside me.  She sighs deeply and cuddles closer to me, twining her fingers through mine and wrapping my arms tighter around her body.  I grunt softly as she rubs against the knife wound in my gut.

"Sorry baby," Maxie murmurs the words softly as she rubs her face catlike against my hands and arms.  Less than a week had passed since we had prevented the Familiars from taking over the world.  Only a few days since we'd laid my best friend in the ground.  My hands clench unconsciously as I flash back to the day after his burial.

_The dew lies thick and chilly over the grass on the green.  Only the disturbed dirt of a fresh grave shatters the bucolic setting.  Max stands quietly by my side, her fingers absently stroking the barcode at the nape of my neck._

_Another woman kneels a few feet in front of us, looking for all the world like a fragile broken doll.  She has settled herself so close to the edge of the grave that her knees are slowly turning grey from the mud that soaks into her pants.  Her right hand touches the earth, and her left hand touches her stomach completing the circuit.  Leaning forward, she rocks herself lightly like a swimmer about to plunge into the water.  We've kept a constant watch on her just in case her misery takes her too far, but deep down we know that she's safe.  She would never risk the gift that she carries within her._

He hadn't known when we'd said our final goodbyes that he'd be leaving a child fatherless.  CeCe herself hadn't even guessed until a few days after the battle that she'd been pregnant.  Racked with grief over Biggs's death the vomiting and dizziness, and the lateness of her period had been written off as symptoms of stress.  After a two days of crying she'd finally become so dehydrated that Max and I had dragged her to the infirmary.  It was then that Kate had given her the news, that she'd lost her lover only to gain his child.

We'd felt so stupid, Max and I.  Neither of us had had any clue that the two of them were together.  I can't help feeling that it should have been me.  Even if Maxie was devastated by my death, and I liked to think that it would affect her at least a little bit, I wouldn't have left a child without a father.  It should have been me to make the sacrifice.

"He saved the world you know, it wasn't for nothing.  He saved CeCe, and his child, and pretty much the whole human race."  She turns gently in my arms so that we are facing one another.

"It should have been me.  Now some little boy or girl will never know their father because he had to play hero and save my life.  Damn it Maxie, he should have let me take the knife."  Unmanly tears are sliding down my cheeks now, hot and slick and shameful.

"You're a soldier Alec, you know better than that.  He accomplished his mission.  In the end that will have to be enough."

"But."

"Hush."  She places her forefinger over my lips and leans her forehead against mine.  "It was a gift Alec.  The best gift anyone could give you.  Now don't fuck it up by doubting yourself.  You just have to accept what's happened and honor him by living your life to the fullest."  I can't help myself, the giggle that I'd been suppressing halfway through her speech escapes and I burst into a peal of genuine laughter hugging her tightly to my chest.

"That's beeeaaautiful Maxie."  Her angry face is ruined by the repressed shudders of laughter that are shaking her ribs.

"Shut up hot boy."

"No really Maxie, you should write for Halmark."

"I said shut it!"  I silence her imprecations by covering her lips with my own.

Careful of the deep contusion on my left side she runs her hands the length of my ribs and resting one against my waist and fisting the other through my overgrown hair.  I brush my lips down the graceful column of her throat and rest them for a moment at the nape of her neck.  A small smile turns up my lips as my eyes trace the lines of her barcode.  It's a nice thought, knowing that Sandeman had made us for one another, but it really isn't important.  Transgenic, leader, savior, it doesn't matter.  Right now I'm lying beside the strongest, bravest, most noble woman I've ever met, and none of these qualities were built into her DNA, they're pure Max.

She pulls back to face me and notices my grin.  "What?"

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"About as much as I love you?"  My heart swells like a balloon.  She said it.  She hadn't mouthed it, she'd said it out loud and it was the most beautiful sounding thing I'd ever heard.

"Nah, I love you more."  She looks thoughtfully into my eyes, and for a moment I feel nervous wondering what she sees.

"Prove it.  Show me."  And knowing a challenge when I hear one, I do just that.

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The late morning sun streams through the dinghy open window, the slanting rays illumining his dirty blond locks.  I run my fingers through them lightly, careful not to wake him from his exhausted sleep.  After all, he'd more than earned it after our early morning exertions.  I slide myself back under the thin sheets and nestle against his back preparing to join him in a nap, when the phone proves its uselessness by choosing this moment to ring.  Giving a bear like grunt Alec reaches a long tanned arm out and grabs the unlikely receiver in a death-grip.

"Hullo?"  A small spasm of annoyance passes over his face.  "Yes Mole, I know its ten o'clock, but as we aren't soldiers held prisoner but a super secret government agency anymore I was foolish enough to think that I might be allowed to sleep in."  His face flushes a suspicious shade of crimson.  "I don't really see how that's any of your business lizard boy.  What?  Honestly?  Oh my god!"  He drops the phone back onto the cradle numbly, and then turns to me with a flushed expression of excitement.  "She did it Maxie, Senator Burnhart kept her word."

"Congress passed the law?"  He nods, struck dumb, and gathers me to his chest.  A part of me is rejoicing, my people are free, there would be a great deal of raucous celebrating out in the streets of Terminal City tonight.

However, a part of me had gone cold at Alec's pronouncement, and even now as I lay in my lover's arms a chill sense of dread flowed over me.  Politicians never made deals without getting something out of it, and Burnhart had as good as told us what she wanted from us.  I had the distinct feeling that Alec and I had escaped one peril only to land ourselves in another, and this last time it had been such a near thing.  I can't bear the thought of losing him again.

He pulls me tightly against his chest and whispers softly into my hair.

"Whatever happens, we'll meet it together."

Fin

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Okay guys, I finally finished it.  I'd like to throw out a few thanks:  Panda007 thank you for the consistent feedback its great inspiration, 

MM as always you are frighteningly perceptive about where I'm heading with the plot, 

Fichic merci beaucoup!, 

Eden glad to know that someone else reads Shakespeare, 

ACB,

Wannabetranny, Yippee, and Fridanight thanks for reviewing it makes me smile,  

Lakergirl I do believe you made me blush a few times, 

Candybabble I apologize for not updating quickly enough, but its nice to know that people anticipate updates,

 Em, M/A fan, and Ting I'm glad that y'all appreciate romance as much as I do, 

Evil I'm glad that you found the story and that you enjoy it, 

Jenna and Frances I hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long on the chapters, 

the-true-cat thank you for recommending the website it was amazing!, 

QuieraStrawberry9 and Sleepy if I were that good I'd be getting paid but thanks very much, 

and to Belle I hope that you found Lost in the Grey and that you enjoyed it.   

Thank you so much to all of you for giving me encouragement and feedback.  I just love writing these stories, and I've already got the base of a new series planned out.  Y'all will have to be patient with me, I go to classes full time through the summer so class may still have to take precedent over my extracurricular writing.  However, I will as always try to balance college with frequent updates.  Please everyone don't forget to tell me how you liked this story, and I look forward to beginning on the next one. 


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